The 3MX Project
| Author: Clara Lawrie | Published: 29th April 2008 10:56 |
When the U3A - Minehead & District groups' photographic convenor asked me to write a 1000 word article about a project called 3MX for Exmoor the Country Magazine I was at first filled with horror. All I knew at that point was that a group of people had been spending their days in retirement taking photos. I thought my biggest challenge would be to find that many words to make this event sound something out of the ordinary. However, after a morning spent at their end-of-project meeting I came away fearing that I could never fully explain what they had achieved, let alone in only 1000 words.
This is their story:
In 2002 a handful of keen amateur photographers applied for and won funding from Tarka Country Trust to help finance a 12 month project to record scenes of Exmoor. So popular and successful was this idea that, after winning a further grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and increasing their number to fifteen, the group have produced the most important and comprehensive photographic record of Exmoor ever to have been made. Their objective was to compile a computer-based record of Exmoor at the beginning of the Third Millennium. The result is a catalogue spanning no less than six CDs containing over 11,000 images together with notes of reference to further descriptive and informative material and will be seen by future generations as an invaluable tool to measure the changes not only in the landscape but our own living environment.
The grant of £11,600 from the HLF for this mammoth five-year project helped the group invest in necessary equipment, such as a digital camera and specialised computer as well as items needed specifically to display their work to the public. And although all out-of-pocket expenditure was reimbursed, no one was paid for their time or expertise. However, the governing rules of the HLF award stipulated that each member had to keep records of their involvement in the project. To this end, 42,000 time sheets were submitted to HLF before Tom Brewer, for the fund, declared that such records were no longer necessary! The total man/woman hours devoted to the project would have, if charged, earned the group in excess of £70,000.
The Driving Force
Did you know?
There is a tree in Devon which is so unique that its official name ends in "...No Parking" after the sign close to where it was first found.
A finely-honed sense of observation is at the heart of each of the pictures. With the driving force of Michael Ireland, no aspect of Exmoor has gone unnoticed. Michael, who is as familiar with Exmoor as the rest of us know only our back gardens has led the group the length, breadth and width of Exmoor to record not only how, at the beginning of the 21st century, the changes in agricultural patterns and practices have shaped the countryside, but to record the unique flora and fauna in the area.
a copy of the final catalogue
For geological accuracy, however, the group were grateful for the expert knowledge from Chris Wood. The geological record is particularly important in areas such as Porlock Bay shingle ridge which is constantly evolving.
Content
Within the vast amount of pictures you would be hard-pressed not to find subject matter to suit your particular points of interest; botany, archaeology, architecture, history and more are all represented.
It goes without saying that all the most renowned and celebrated vistas of Exmoor are included, but you will find many lesser-known views and unexpected delights such as the rock formations seen at Hurlestone Point; small domestic details like door knockers and porches; traditional crafts like horse shoeing at Luccombe; and customs such as hunting from Exford.
Including the Future Custodians of Exmoor
The core of the message is the evolving story of Exmoor and its people, and in that vein they connected with members of the senior class of St. Dubricius primary school, Porlock. The children were encouraged to observe and take their own digital pictures of their surroundings. A total of 54 of their images were used and from these each pupil selected one and wrote a piece about it. The result, ‘Essence of Porlock' is now a unique presentation of the children's feelings for their surroundings.
Another project aimed at including the children was based on a card game, ‘Top Trump'. A coach trip to Piles Mill near Allerford helped the class familiarize themselves with local National Trust properties. The photographs taken that day were then professionally fashioned into playing cards, each card showing an image and notes on the relevant features. In this way, invaluable lessons were learnt by these future custodians of Exmoor.
Credit from Exmoor Society
In the Foreword for the catalogue, Rachel Thomas, CBE, Chairman of The Exmoor Society writes: "It is particularly important for Exmoor to have a record of what it looks like at the start of the Third Millennium. Exmoor was designated a National Park over 50 years ago, because of the outstanding quality of its landscape and the need to protect it for the nation. Landscape is of course more than just scenery and can be regarded as the meeting place between people and nature, as linking the past with the present and future, and as providing tangible and intangible values."
There can be no doubt that this far-sighted ambition has been realised by the group. By their meticulous planning and demanding schedule of work, this generation has bequeathed a remarkable legacy to take Exmoor safely into the next millennium.
This fascinating archive, which has been gifted to the community, can be examined at several locations including Devon and Somerset County Record Offices, West Somerset Rural Life Museum, Allerford and Minehead library.
The work continues
The project may be complete, but Michael Ireland and other members of the group are invited to many meetings to talk about their work. The most popular part of these exhibitions is Michael's quizzes.
How much do you really know about Exmoor?
3MX Photography group members:
Alex Slater, Ann Lang, Brian Garwood, Daphne Pilgrim, Geoff Taylor, Gill Njeru, Graham Walker, Joan Ireland, Kester Webb, Martin Harborne, Michael Ireland, Peter Leather, Ron Rayner, Stephen Elliott, Wendy Eames.
Click here to see a (very) small sample of the project's pictures. (Link will open a new window)
What do you think?
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by the sounds of it!
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