Murray Livingston – Intimate Woodland
Murray Livingston
Intimate Woodland
17 April – 9 May 2026
“Intimate Woodland” Artist’s Statement
Growing up, I was gifted the opportunity of time in wilderness, particularly in my home country of South Africa with its wide open spaces relatively untouched by human influence. These experiences instilled their importance in me from a very young age and influenced not only my understanding of the world, but my very being as a part of the natural order. I see glimpses of this natural way in the heart of the Scottish landscape too.
Fragments of Scotland’s Caledonian Forest are in fact the native woodland that grew after the glaciers of the last ice age retreated, roughly some 14,000 years ago; it is estimated that just 1% of this original stock remains, with 84 isolated fragments scattered across the country on the official inventory. Some unrecorded sites are still being discovered, by eNGO's like Trees for Life through their Wild Pines project and other adventurous souls, in an effort to document the woodlands that were missed by the original catalog. The few trees that remain are often isolated, remote, and facing increasing threat.
The dramatic reduction in native woodlands has been due to a number of factors. Today, these are predominantly over-grazing pressures, while historically highland clearances and efforts during WWI and WWII played a role. Additionally, human pressures through climate change are now affecting their ability to naturally regenerate, especially on the wet west coast.
Scotland’s cultural landscape has also experienced what is termed shifting baseline syndrome: the norm of what is thought of as “wild Scotland” is in reality a barren landscape. In 2021, the UK ranked in the bottom 10% worldwide for biodiversity according to the Natural History Museum’s Biodiversity Intactness Index. The desolate rolling hills and mountains now considered beautiful, are in reality unnatural.
Through this exhibition, I hope to show a glimpse of what remains of Scotland’s beautiful natural state which still exists in these fragments of forgotten woodlands. While many may not remember what wild Scotland once was, the land remembers.
This initial limited selection of work has been curated from a wider body of work made over the last 2 years exploring pinewood remnants and their enduring nature. Small pockets of trees face out over the landscape standing their ground, resilient and resolute.
Murray Livingston
November 2025
Artist’s Biography
Murray Livingston is a full-time professional nature and landscape photographer, educator, and workshop leader with more than 15 years of image making experience. Murray photographs all aspects of the landscape through long-term photographic projects in Scotland, his home country of South Africa, and all over the world. He is a deep thinker with interests in adventure and conservation, both of which he strives to communicate and teach through a deeply contemplative and introspective approach to photography.
Murray’s photography has been published worldwide, including in: Outdoor Photography Magazine, Nature Vision Magazine, On Landscape, Nature Photographer’s Network, Poetic Visuals, and most recently was featured in the Trees for Life’s 2026 calendar, a Scottish Rewilding Charity. He received a finalist portfolio commendation in the 2024 Scottish Landscape Photographer of the Year award and has exhibited throughout the UK.