Farmlife: Pauline Rook

PHOTOGRAPHER PAULINE Rook”s strong farming connections have proved an invaluable asset for her latest exhibition, which opens tomorrow in Somerset.”Working the Land” is a collection of 70 colour and black-and-white photographs (including the one shown above), taken by her and Jenny Graham, exploring the visual nature of farming in the West Country. The pair have visited 25 farms over the past year from Wilts to Devon, recording agricultural practices during the different seasons. Some of the inspiration for the exhibition, which runs from April 2 to May 14 at The Brewhouse, Taunton, came from visiting neighbours, she says. “I”d often be visiting farmer-friends and think: This is so precious, how can I record this. “Modern farming can be very ugly but it can also be very beautiful,” says Pauline. “We have tried to explore the reality of farming in the 21st century, rather than a nostalgic fantasy,” adds Jenny.