Visual Essays 04 by Patricia Niven

Patricia Niven is a London-based food photographer – her work conveys her philosophy of the interconnectedness of food, with the hope that it inspires others to have a greater awareness and appreciation of the relationship between the land, the producer and the preparer. This essay was shot in lockdown at Patricia’s home in Clerkenwell, London in collaboration with stylist Agathe Gits.

“My father was a long term photography enthusiast with a home darkroom first started teaching me (photography) when I was about 5 years old. My early learning led me to practice throughout high school then onto art school…. I love its range of potential – as a tool enabling you to connect with people in spite of barriers; when alone, as a way of connecting with yourself & ideas; as a torch to shine a light on something overlooked.”

“After nearly a year locked away in our respective London flats, my collaborator Agathe Gits (@latitudes.studio) and I decided to use one of them as the backdrop for our version of a Spring celebration. We looked to echo what has been happening in the wild, by inviting the outside world to inhabit the (interior) space; translating the hopefulness of the new season into vivid hues and lush piles of raw bright ingredients. We played with colours and how they look so different under changing seasonal light & turned the shadow of the window into a forever moving and evolving frame.”

“The canvases in this shoot were made to compliment the shades of the beautiful Mud ceramics, playing with both concepts of monochrome and complementary colours. Inspirational colour swatches included Blue sky, Mimosa flower & Concrete in the sun.”

Patricia Niven

Patricia dropped out of a photography degree at the Queensland College of Art in 1994 and ran off to explore the photography industry in Sydney. In 1997 she arrived in London and likes it too much to leave.