This Woodland-based image is a visualisation of Phytophthora ramorum (commonly referred to as Larch Disease), a highly infectious yet almost invisible disease that can affect up to 150 plant species. During the last decade, there has been a gradual spreading to various larch woodlands in England and now Scotland.
Once a forest is infected, mass felling is often the only solution to avoid spreading to further woodland. Like the Covid-19 pandemic, the disease is easily spread by airborne and physical transmission, and upscaled Lateral Flow tests are used to identify infected trees.
These images are scanned colour darkroom prints (Chromogenic prints), of which the colour filtration on the enlarger has been extensively manipulated to cast the images in deep magenta, alluding to the invisible disease behind the bark. An alternative aesthetic compared to the scenic, idealised forest landscape print.
20x16in C-type Chromogenic Prints