Esther Waite

A photograph of the view towards the east from Broadhead Clough early on an autumnal morning. The sun is rising behind a distant fell casting a golden light across the landscape.

Peatland charm bracelet

This peatland project was inspired by being part of the Peat Appreciation Society (PAS), an art centred collective working to raise awareness and celebrate peat.

The charms symbolise different facets of my emotional bond with the Calderdale upper moorland, a landscape with which I’ve formed an important and complex relationship as a walker and trail runner.

Each charm sits alongside a creative writing response that delves deeper into the personal significance of my chosen object.

The charms are constructed in layers from varying combinations of cardstock, mica pigments and scrap materials. ‘A permissive peatland path‘ tells the story of the origins of this project and how following my curiosity led me to explore new creative possibilities.

Contours

Photograph of a square mixed media charm for a bracelet, set against a grey stony background. The charm has a coppery gold finish and features a series of layers building up a representation of the contours on an OS map.
I breathe
The rain clamours
 
Hood up
Head down
I climb
Trampling grass
Splitting bracken
Weathering stone
Outstriving gravity
 
Desire lines meet
Time, space, body and breath assemble
Worries bead and trickle away
Into a rolling expanse
Of wetness, softness
Cloud and earth

Curlew

Photograph of a mixed media charm featuring the silhouette of a curlew about to take flight. The bird faces to the left and has a warm coppery finish. An open circle in a coppery gold finish sits behind the silhouette. The charm is set against a green mossy background.
Fellow offcumden
Upper moorland forager
Perfectly decurved
You sweep and probe
For juicy treasures
Scratch a shallow home
Hunker down with fluffy chicks
 
I see you rise
An elegant, burbling arc
Of anonymous mottled brown
Betrayed by a celebrity silhouette
 
We survey the wuthering slopes together
Greedy for solitude
 
Cur-lee, cur-lee,
Cur-leave me be
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Mirror

Photograph of a mixed media charm for a bracelet, set against a grey stony background. The charm has a coppery gold finish and represents a mirror, featuring a round semi-reflective centre surrounded by decorative edges evoking an antique wall mirror.
A smudge of yesterday's mascara
And a dripping nose
Tatty oversized waterproof
Black on black
With splashes of slurry
Uppers shredded at the creases
Socks sodden
 
Able enough
Old and young
Timid and ferocious
Plunging through clawing heathers
Channelling millstone grit
Reclaiming the dark
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Guardian

A mixed media charm for a bracelet representing a guardian angel, featuring a gender-neutral human silhouette facing forwards, arms down and to the side with palms forward, with a pair of wings extending outwards behind the shoulders The charm has a pale gold finish with a contrasting coppery gold lower layer at the wing tips. The charm is set against the textures of a tree stump.
Feeble dot
Approaching the knoll
Traversing a pale gold desert
Kicking up dust
Disheartened
Dreaming of angels
 
Impotent ancestor
Treacherous descendent
Summon your fury
Flex your muscle
Fluff up your wings
Take flight
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Pool

Photograph of a mixed media charm for a bracelet representing a pool of water. The charm is roughly round in shape and its borders have a coppery gold finish. Inside is a semi-translucent mid blue section with layered details suggesting depth. The charm is set against the textures of a fallen log.
Gaping moorland mouth
Sanctum of stillness
Spongy, eager darkness
Harvesting the torrential sky
 
A gust thrashes at my ankles
Clattering jackdaws race for cover
Downy cottongrass nods and sways
Water pools around my toes
 
I sip from the pack on my back
Rummage for a snack with salty fingers
Teeter on grassy tufts
Plot my escape
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Bottle

A mixed media charm in the shape of a bottle featuring a coppery gold outline with a semi-translucent central section. The bottle contains a bubbly-looking substance with a red tint. The charm is set against the textures of a tree stump full of autumnal leaves.
Molten steel horizon
Long shadow pointing west
Distant bellowing dog
Drowsy, rippling bronze
And a twist of smoke

Humic opulence
Gently distilled into
Small batch tranquillity
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