Anima
In personal project, Anima, Jack explores the legacy of the Isle of Portland, a small stretch of land that has provided stone for many of the UK’s most famous buildings, including Buckingham Palace and the British Museum.
In Jack’s quiet imagery, bright light bounces off of the quarries of white stone, giving the project a soft, ethereal quality that sits in contrast to the often brutal, difficult reality of life in the mines.
"“The stone, praised for its strength, yet susceptible to erosion and weathering, mirrors the resilience and vulnerability of the working men on the Isle of Portland.”"
Jack Orton
Jack first paid a visit to the Isle of Portland in 2023, serendipitously beginning to shoot the project the week of King Charles' Coronation; the timing of which holds particular significance in light of the islands' contribution to the construction of Buckingham Palace.
Staying on the island for up to a week at a time enabled Jack to spend more time with the residents and workers, to explore their relationship to the stone that surrounds them - a symbol of wealth, affluence, and prosperity, which sits at odds with the arduous brutality of the life of a working miner.
Read a full write-up on the project at It's Nice That.
