Pastoral Malaise
Pastoral Malaise (2022) 11 minutes, Scanned 16mm, Colour.
Pastoral Malaise is a meditative reflection on the absences found in rural pastoral environments, which are often framed by a false romanticism and picturesque conventions, constructed as tourist sites within rural landscapes across Britain.
The film explores these absences and ideas through a Black feminist lens, drawing on approaches to history and memory. Inspired by Una Marson’s poem "Spring In England" and Dorris Henderson’s 1965 cover of the popular British folk song "One Morning In May," the film recalls a relationship to the English landscape, told through memories and speculative histories.
Commissed by the Independent Cinema Office and LUX.
All images are stills from Pastoral Malaise (2022), Courtesy of the artist.