Heath Life by Miriam Reik
Millennium Images is pleased to announce the arrival of the pictures from "Heath Life", a photographic book by Miriam Reik.

Open spaces in London are thankfully not in short supply, but Hampstead Heath with its rolling hills, meadows, heath land, woods and ponds and its fantastic location commanding panoramic views over the urban sprawl of the metropolis, must take pride of place.

Miriam Reik, a documentary and portrait photographer has lived right by the Heath for the last 12 years and has tramped extensively over its terrain, camera in hand and her dog Rosco at her side. Heath Life, her postcard book, recently self published, is a selection of images taken over this extended period. “What interested me about Hampstead Heath, right from the start, was its rich cultural life - the wonderful mix between the urban and the rural that so defines the space. Yes it’s a place of natural beauty, but its spirit has always been defined by the people that use it ; Londoners, their children, their dogs and and many a lucky visitor from out of town. People have been coming here for over a century to take advantage of its bucolic charms and today the need to escape the pressures of the city below is greater than ever.”

Reik’s attachment to the Heath goes back to early childhood when her father used to bring her here. She finds that although the scenery may have changed and views may have shifted, the atmosphere remains static, fixed in a kind of utopian moment which everyone that visits can access. Each postcard in this collection is witness to a personal narrative. capturing a precious moment of interplay between the individual and the landscape.

"At first I had no definitive plan for my subject matter but slowly I refined my points of interest. I started to capture varying elements that make Heath Life unique, creating individual projects. This included the fairground that visits three times a year, recalling the nostalgia of Happy Hampstead of the late 19th century, and which despite its dwindling popularity and increased tackiness, still holds magic for children and the uninitiated. Kenwood summer concerts provide a background for a particular Englishness ; strawberries and umbrellas under varying coloured skies, picnics and champagne. And of course there are the dogs and their walkers that become more visible during the week when the Heath is quieter.”

The Corporation of London, which manages the Heath commissioned Reik to create an installation piece, Marked Benches, relating to the many memorial benches that populate the landscape of the Heath. “I hung these bench images on free standing tree trunks, cut down by Heath wardens.and exhibited in a marquee in a meadow, The idea was to encourage a visceral response - when we sit down on a bench to take a rest or admire the view, we share in a common sensibility. As public keepsakes, memorial benches with their very personal dedications create an intimate link between our own individual experiences of being on the Heath and an unknown sympathiser from the past.”

Heath visitors will be familiar with many well known landmarks ; Parliament Hill with its kite flying and sledging in winter ; the 25 ponds, of which the biggest ones were dug out in the 18th century as reservoirs for London’s water supply and are now used for fishing, swimming, model boating etc ; even the hollow tree has eclectic memories for many. “The pursuits and pleasures taking place across the Heath landscape are endless, from competitive sports to simply flaking out in the grass. But when out simply walking my dog (and my nikon), or purposefully taking photos, many times getting a good picture was a question of serendipity. Just capturing Heath aficionados in passing. Aside from my specific projects of interest, I never wanted to present a prescribed catalogue of activities, however varied and extensive they are. I needed to provide a spontaneous portrait of this special world, reveal the curious and the poignant. And so it was when I selected for the book.“

Reik’s Heath Life is very much a London phenomenon and the tale she tells is a very modern day parable - of people at play in their city’s extended back garden.

Miriam Reik has worked as an editorial and commercial photographer since 1983,specialising in portraiture and documentary, and has been published by a spectrum of national magazines from The Independent and The Guardian to Marie Claire. Self taught and commercial trained, her personal work took off in 1994 with her exhibition Can I Say Shalom, an essay on the Jewish Community in North West London, which was shown at the Photographers’ Gallery London and toured to the States and the Czech Republic. Since then Reik has engaged in series of documentary projects in her field of special interest, - culture, community and identity. Reik’s broader appreciation of the visual arts is reflected in recently achieving a diploma in art history from Birkbeck, and combining her photography with other mediums, such as sculpture and graphic design. For the last 5 years she has been art facilitating for an asylum seekers centre. Her work can be found in various collections including the National Portrait Gallery and the Side Gallery Newcastle.
Reik’s postcard book Heath Life, a photographic portrait of people at play across the landscape of Hampstead Heath in North London, can be purchased via Amazon ; at The Photographers’ Gallery; Camden Arts Centre; Waterstones and Books Etc Hampstead ; The Owl book shop Kentish Town and various independent book shops in North London.