Can you take me to a place where you feel hardy and free?

Amateur Photographer features Hardy and Free, Carolyn Mendelsohn's project commissioned by the Brontë Society and currently on show at the Brontë Parsonage Museum.

You can also create a sense of story, especially if you take several portraits and use them together in a vignette. Carolyn Mendelsohn’s latest project – Hardy and Free – a commission for the Brontë Parsonage museum in Howarth [sic], does exactly that. It also goes one step further by introducing audio clips that are played in conjunction with the portraits at the exhibition.

Located in Howarth [sic], Yorkshire, the Brontë Parsonage museum is where the famous literary sisters spent most of their lives. Today, it is home to the Brontë society, and also runs a contemporary arts programme. This year’s project, Hardy and Free – the name of which is taken from an Emily Brontë quote – explores the sisters’ connection with the landscape. When the museum put out a call for a photographer to create stories using photographic portraits and audio, Carolyn – who lives just a few miles away in Saltaire – felt that she would be perfect for the job.

She tells me, ‘I thought I could absolutely do this. My work is all about story and I’m also fascinated by the life of the Brontës; and, the idea of creating something that is hardy and free – I knew I could approach it in that exact way.’

There are some interesting practical challenges to consider when hosting an exhibition at the Parsonage. For a start, as a heritage building, there are certain conditions to bear in mind. ‘They wanted the work to be shown in the servants’ room. It’s a tiny room, where nothing can be attached to the walls. I thought I’d suggest that I can do an immersive projection, with audio. As an artist, as much as a photographer, it really kind of called to me.’

The project took place over a short span of time. After receiving the commission in November, all the portrait shoots took place in the winter, with the exhibition hanging at the start of May. It was entirely up to Carolyn who she included in the portraits. ‘I wanted women with a connection to Yorkshire,’ she explains, ‘but who also had a relationship with the landscape in some way. Women who were diverse in terms of age and experience, but also the landscapes that they responded to were diverse as well – whether it be an urban landscape or a rural landscape. They also need to have a story.’

Carolyn asked the women themselves to choose the landscapes they would be photographed in, aiming to make each shoot as responsive as possible. ‘I wanted to be taken on a journey. In the call-outs I did, I basically said, “Can you take me to a place where you feel hardy and free.” The place would be secret, or that is special to them, or somewhere they venture to gather their thoughts, a place where you want to free yourself from the worries of life. Anything really.’ (Amy Davies)

The article continues and is accompanied by some of the project's photographs.

AnneBrontë.org wonders 'How Did The Brontës Keep Cool In Summer?' (although the post has some problems and is not visible right now).