UWE Creative Arts 2013

Isabelle in the Mountains: Gane Travels in France, 2013

In December 2013, Trustees Heather Lister and Cleo Witt heard a remarkable presentation by Isabelle Neill on her experience in remote rural France, following the annual migration to the mountains of the local flocks and shepherds – the age-old practice of transhumance.

Isabelle took her photographic and filming skills to record this living tradition, helped by personal contacts and her resourcefulness in a fluid and often taxing situation. She used all her good fortune – finding an expert in oral history for instance who would guide her through interviewing, the night before the migration set off. Isabelle produced some beautiful images and learned all sorts of skills which will stand her in good stead in her future career in film-making. She nows works as a documentary film-maker for the charity Water Aid.

Picture: sheep wearing pompoms for the journey