I am interested in our perception of place and the distinctions made between the natural and
unnatural, human and non-human, in the context of landscape. I connect representations of
place with relocated, reassembled found things, fostering an appreciation for the unseen
aspects of landscape and Henry David Thoreau’s, idea of ‘Atmospheres’.
Commenting on the transient nature of the value we assign to things and the insights our relationship with them reveals, I conduct quasi-archaeological investigations, where artefacts self-select by attracting my attention and are then relocated, reassembled and rehomed. Working in specific areas, I look beyond the known, to engage with the vital materiality of place, documenting and representing elements through digital photography and film, drawings and paintings both on-site and in my studio. In this way I create archives and assemblages of place.
Working through an iterative process of digital image making, overpainting and painting, I question the authenticity of representations of place and invite the viewer to consider how they interact with landscape, encouraging an appreciation of the vitality of what lies beneath their feet and careful looking at otherwise overlooked places and things.
My practice is shaped by New Materialist theorists such as Jane Bennett and her ideas of agency in non-human actors, and artist Marina Abramovich's exploration of artefact presence at the Oxford Pitt Rivers Museum. My practice culminates in a joyful appreciation of the opportunities for enchantment in the age of the Anthropocene and the likely positive effect these enchantments may have in our treatment of environment.
Commenting on the transient nature of the value we assign to things and the insights our relationship with them reveals, I conduct quasi-archaeological investigations, where artefacts self-select by attracting my attention and are then relocated, reassembled and rehomed. Working in specific areas, I look beyond the known, to engage with the vital materiality of place, documenting and representing elements through digital photography and film, drawings and paintings both on-site and in my studio. In this way I create archives and assemblages of place.
Working through an iterative process of digital image making, overpainting and painting, I question the authenticity of representations of place and invite the viewer to consider how they interact with landscape, encouraging an appreciation of the vitality of what lies beneath their feet and careful looking at otherwise overlooked places and things.
My practice is shaped by New Materialist theorists such as Jane Bennett and her ideas of agency in non-human actors, and artist Marina Abramovich's exploration of artefact presence at the Oxford Pitt Rivers Museum. My practice culminates in a joyful appreciation of the opportunities for enchantment in the age of the Anthropocene and the likely positive effect these enchantments may have in our treatment of environment.