'In Les Misérables, Victor Hugo describes the land⁠ surrounding Paris as ‘bastard countryside’. It is ‘amphibian’ and ‘bizarre’: a place where city and countryside clash and overlap – ‘the end of the beaten track, the beginning of the passions, the end of the murmur of things divine, the beginning of the noise of⁠ humankind.’ When Robin Friend first heard this phrase, it suddenly seemed to make sense of the work he had been creating. Having grown up in Australia before returning to the UK as a teenager, Friend often found himself looking for harsh landscapes reminiscent of the Australian bush. He was⁠ also drawn to places where nature was encroaching – or reclaiming – manmade ground. ‘Bastard countryside’ became a unifying principle, a way of seeing, a narrative impulse.'⁠ ⁠ Bastard Countryside, a project by Robin Friend (@robinfriendstudio) as featured in 'This Pleasant Land' ⁠ ⁠ Written by Rosalind Jana (@rosalindjana) and available to pre-order now. Link in bio. ⁠