Finding Tom Calvert

These images have been created in response to a 180-mile walk in the Lake District, as written about in 1995 by none other than Tom Calvert. As a Tom Calvert myself, I felt compelled to do this walk; I saw it as a pilgrimage, a journey of self-discovery, a walk that would end in the finding of Tom Calvert. I saw it as a pre written guide on how to find him, on how to find myself.

Before I went on this journey, I had never climbed a mountain, nor had I owned an OS map or worn a pair of gaiters. After completing it, I still can’t read a map, my waterproof trousers remain unused and I own a compass that doesn’t point north.

What have I gained from following Tom Calvert over mountains, across lakes and down caves? Other than a sore back and a tanned face, it has provided me with a number of insights about myself. Can I survive extended periods of time without company? No, not really. Can I carry a heavy rucksack up a mountain? Just. Can I find humour, silliness and absurdity anywhere? Hopefully.

Thus, these photographs created on this journey were a means of documenting this; hopefully they highlight not only the absurdity and silliness of what I saw and did, but also reflect the silliness of the initial proposition.

One question perhaps remains though; did I find Tom Calvert?

Tom Calvert (1991) is a photographer from the United Kingdom who has recently graduated from the University of Brighton. His work uses photography as a means of playfulness, often exploring word plays, linguistic illogicalities and visual absurdities