On The Surface is an adaption of the book ‘Under The Surface’ by Matilda Temperley. It documents the communities account of the devastating 2014 floods and their legacy in Somerset, UK. I wanted to represent the sense of the isolation that the drastic change to the landscape created and the power that nature exerts.

The tree and island, that emerge through the waterline of pages, are brought out by cutting each page in situ, raising them up against the spine and gluing together. This allows the refection to remain in the flat pages, adding to the feeling of depth.

The large cascade in the top left is cut from a plate showing an industrial pump in action that was used in the flood management process. It represents the overwhelming volume of rain that fell in such a short time. The extended pages in the lower right are images of the reflections on the calmed water when it had settled. These were taken from the book and then reinserted to illustrate the water spilling away when it had no defined course to follow.

There a several animals to find; a Duck, 2 Owls, a Rabbit and a Squirrel. These show how the event affected all the species that share this beautiful landscape.