Loneliness and isolation are silent, it doesn't bang on any doors, it doesn't push past people, and it doesn’t shout, but it screams inside us all, hoping and longing to be noticed. Isolation is invisible, but it shines so brightly that it’s sometimes hard to see.

Isolation is strong and can hold you back when you're desperate to break free; isolation is not being heard when asking questions, above all else, isolation can be cruel.

I began this project as part of my MA Fine Art studies. Living in the picturesque county of Suffolk, it’s towns and villages can be idyllic places to live, but they can also mask underlying challenges of loneliness and isolation, particularly among older residents. Due to the growing financial pressures of the various council transportation budgets more and more elderly and young people are suffering from being cut-off from larger urban towns.

The flip-side to this almost utopian view of life is not so elementary or uncomplicated. What happens when the idyllic becomes a living nightmare, when situations take a turn for the worst and what you once loved about the countryside loses its appeal. The ironic fact that this remoteness which people once hoped to find in the country is also the single issue that precipitates the majority of problems associated with living in rural communities. The quietness and the tranquillity can become something you no longer abide. Indeed, for some, this has been a major element for a move out of the countryside and back to a more urban environment.