Brett Ballard: Can you tell me something about the series? How did Wormwood come about? You mentioned London and Transylvania.

Jane Burton: This work began during my studio residency in East London last year. I was there during the winter, alone, and it was my first visit to the UK. I had intended to photograph buildings in high-rise estates, and indeed did so. But I became more interested in the bare winter trees that surrounded the buildings. This was in part due to the bleakness of the estates in the bitter cold, and the fact that I was alone and worried about my personal safety.

The stark and abstract beauty of the leafless European trees became the new subject of the photographs. I always imagined though, that they would be only a part of the final outcome, that they would be combined with other images. I considered montage and also painting over the photographs. I was keen to experiment and use my time in London to break out of my usual methods of working.

I travelled to Paris specifically to photograph the decaying stone statues at Parc de Saint Cloud. However I found it hard to somehow make these statues my own, make them something other, something beyond romantic postcards. Once again I photographed the trees there, and in other locations such as Cimetiere Pere Lachaise and Porte de Vincennes.

And then in Transylvania too.

BB) I know nothing of your working processes. Do you plan the images, say in
a story board sense or are the series begun more in a chance or random way,
that is one image might suggest others?

JB) I would describe my working method as organic and not overly planned. I follow my instincts initially, pursuing something that appeals to me. It may begin as a feeling, a colour, a single image. For me it’s quite an indulgent process, whereby I gather words and images, visit particular locations, watch certain films. Any research really that helps 'channel' the images.

When I feel potential for the subject or concept, then I begin to more consciously plan photographs. As each new image in a series develops, it becomes clearer to me where I'm heading, what could be missing, and what could be added. So yes, one image often suggests another.

I do write notes to myself, words, sometimes sketches.
I must add though, that I do visualise the work quite early in the process. That is, I see (and feel) the look of the final outcome: whether it’s in colour or black and white, whether its large or small, and I sense its presence, its mood.

BB)  Anything of deeper significance in  the title, Wormwood?

JB) Wormwood just seemed right because it encapsulated the mood of the work and was suggestive of so many things. For example: wormwood as the infamous ingredient in absinthe that causes hallucinogenic intoxication; or its references in the bible as bitter, and then other definitions as grievous and unpleasant;  whilst also mentioned as an aphrodisiac, or a vermifuge and a tonic. It has associations with black magic too I think; wormwood is called 'old man', and is called 'hemlock' in Hebrew.

For me, wormwood has fairytale associations; a place deep in the woods where magical and strange things may happen. Wormwood suggests the dank and decay of the forest, of animals, of enchantment, of transformation, of fear, desire, secrets. In Wormwood, nature is a presence; conscious, knowing, and perhaps malevolent.

BB) Jane, can you comment about the female figure, which is the dominant and
singular affect in your pictures? To me the thrust of your pictures has a
lot to do with the female form, physically and emotionally.

JB) The female figure in my pictures has developed somewhat unconsciously. I think 'she' is a vessel for exploration of the female psyche and sexuality. I suppose the fact that she is faceless attests to this, and makes her an 'everywoman'.

BB) How does the figure in your images relate to a schema? Is she much like a
figure in a narrative, placed and to be spoken through as in dramatic form
or in a novel? Here Iris Murdoch comes to mind. Realist but with
overtones of the gothic and fantasy.

JB)  think your thoughts are close to the truth. I suppose that over time the solitary female figure in the work has become a sort of character, a cipher for me, a means to explore certain emotional and physical conditions. In each series though, the role is slightly different. The theme of the work, the mood, and locations, direct her role, and possibly provide further clues to narratives and motivations that I prefer remain ambiguous.  And I do hope that the figure can exist and shift between the realms of realism, the gothic and fantasy.

BB) I wanted to ask you about working in series. Is this a structuring
devise, one which creates mood and pitch and brings to bear associations?

JB) Perhaps it comes from my love of film. I like to create a world and a mood. In some ways this is my real drive: to bring a feeling and a vision to life in a series of photographs. The mood created is more important to me than implied narrative.

A series allows me to construct a landscape and a world beyond a single frame. This also helps to build and reinforce the mood of the work, as well as recurring elements within the 'narrative'. 

BB) Is this the first time you have used a composite negative in preparation
for the final print?

JB) Yes, it is. I have wanted to experiment with the possibility of building images from more than one negative for some time, but it is very difficult to do easily and do well, especially using darkroom 'sandwiching' techniques. Scanning my negatives and utilising Photoshop has made this work possible. This new way of constructing images has enabled me to really break away from the representational, into a fantasy realm. It’s a real freedom.

BB) How important then is technique to the look of the final image?

I prefer the old fashioned magic of the darkroom to the computer, but I use digital applications out of necessity. Digital imaging is giving me a freedom to explore my image making, though at the same time I do hold back somewhat. I like my images to be in some way possible, actual, even truthful.

BB) Bergman, Antonioni, Gothic novels and noir films. Is there anyone or anything in
particular that informs your work?

JB) Yes, I find film influential and inspiring. I'm particularly drawn to the horror genre for the strong images, fantasy, and intensity of mood. I like the films of David Lynch, Bergman, Dario Argento, Polanski, Alain Resnais, and Cronenberg (to name just a few). 

Wormwood, more specifically was inspired by films such as 'La Belle et La Bette' by Jean Cocteau, 'I Walked with a Zombie' by Jacques Tourneur, 'The Elephant Man' by David Lynch, 'Sleepy Hollow' by Tim Burton, and the series 'Deadwood' on HBO.
And more generally, symbolist art, daguerreotype portraiture, and French erotic photography.