TERRA at Grizedale Forest

11 February - 29 April 2012


JONATHAN ANDERSON, EDWINA FITZPATRICK, LUKE JERRAM, ANNE-MIE MELIS, OWL PROJECT

Following the huge success of TERRA at the Jerwood Space, London in 2011, Grizedale Forest is delighted to host the first Jerwood Encounters exhibition to tour. The exhibition draws inspiration from the unique history of the Grizedale Forest sculpture programme and examines environmental and geological processes. The exhibition explores sculpture as a sensory experience and features newly commissioned sculpture by artists from across the UK. TERRA is Curated by Hayley Skipper & Antony Mottershead from the Forestry Commission England at Grizedale Forest.

Are Your Petunias Actually Transgenic?(#2) (detail)

photo credit Antony Mottershead

Nurturing

I have been preparing a new installation . The installation “Nurturing” consists of one electrical appliance, a makeshift light source, displayed together with three photographs (Nurturing 1, 2 and 3) showing the light in action outdoors. 

While technical and aesthetical imperfect,  “Nurturing” offers a naïve, almost childish solution to an environment with reduced light levels. This work relates to our haphazard stewardship of nature, and questions whether our improvisations will be enough to confront the pressure on earth’s resources and systems.

Nurturing 1

Nurturing 2

Nurturing 3

*Electrical appliance (non PAT tested) consisting of: recycled cable and plug, cable ties, circuit board on recycled wood, circular fluorescent tube, powered by main’s electricity or motorised generator 

Jerwood Encounters: TERRA

I am taking part in the show 'TERRA', a Jerwood Encounters exhibition that explores the relationship contemporary sculpture practice shares with the environment and landscape beyond the gallery. The show is curated by Hayley Skipper and Antony Mottershead, in partnership with Forestry Commission England, Grizedale Forest. The artists in the show are Jonathan Anderson, Edwina Fitzpatrick, Luke Jerram, The Owl project and myself. 


I elaborated on the installation 'Are Your Petunias Actually Transgenic?' (see previous post 24 Feb 2011). The animation 'Blind Petunias' is screened using two projections. A new animation is added to this installation displayed using a vertical projection. Seven beech tree trunks with plaster sculpted fungal growths create a conceptual landscape. The budding growths are the projection surface for the growing Petunias. The wood is sourced from Grizedale Forest.

Are Your Petunias Actually Transgenic? (#2)
Installation (tree trunks, gypsum, projectors, animations), 2011, dimensions 4.5m x 4.5m  x 3m.

Photo credit Tomas Rydin

Artist in Residence in Lokaal 01_Antwerp, Belgium

Together with artist Peter Hulsmans, I have been successful in applying for a 4 week residence in 2012 in Lokaal 01_Antwerp in Belgium.

Floor plan Lokaal 01_Antwerp

Late Shift @ The Forum In Norwich

On 13 July 2011 the animation 'Blind Petunias' was screened in The Fusion foyer at the Forum in Norwich. The Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts' Late Shift was taking over The Forum for one evening during the Elements: Material Worlds exhibition. An evening of live performances, temporary installations, poetry, film and interactive projects exploring the unique spaces of The Forum. The contemporary artworks in the Elements: Material Worlds exhibition were inspired by habitat, environment and both the natural and man-made worlds.

Blind Petunias at Cambridge Science Festival

From 17 to 20 March 2011, under the umbrella of Invisible Dust, the animation ‘Blind Petunias’ was 

screened at Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge in an outdoor group show curated by Alice Sharp. 

The animation shows the growth of both mutant and normal Petunia flowers. We observe the slow 

movements of plants influenced by the cycle of day and night. The contrasting development of mutant 

and normal flowers becomes clear to the viewer. We see plants with fused floral organs, flowers unable 

to open or with missing petals, seemingly blind to their surrounding environment.  The depiction of Petunia 

mutants illustrates the infinite possibilities and also the increased responsibility that comes with our increasing 

knowledge of plant cultivation and ability to control and influence our environment. 

Are Your Petunias Actually Transgenic? (Test Bed, Oriel Davies Gallery, installation views)

tree trunk, gypsum, wall drawing, projection, documentation,  Feb 2011

 

dried specimens

Blind Petunias, dried specimens, Feb 2011

Are Your Petunias Actually Transgenic?

From March to December 2010 I have been artist in residence at the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University. During this time I have followed up the growing process of mutant and normal Petunia flowers.  The Petunia genome is naturally unstable by the presence of ‘jumping’ DNA elements and therefore the product of each seed is unpredictable, allowing for a multitude of floral possibilities. This phenomenon is used by plant scientists to do research into the function of genes in plants. My works in process consist of a unique herbarium of these modified Petunia flowers and animations that beautifully show the movements, morphology and growth of the plants. I use the Petunia plants with ‘jumping’ DNA elements as a metaphor to illustrate our love-hate relationship with Genetic Modified Organisms. Garden centers show the overflow of human engineered varieties and crossbred species. With my work I touch the subjects of natural evolution and human driven engineering in response towards a dynamic society and a shifting natural environment. The animation ‘Blind Petunias’ is presented for the first time in the Test Bed space in Oriel Davies Gallery in Newtown, Wales, where together with added sculpture and drawing it creates a textured installation. 
I am grateful to the Leverhulme Trust who supported the residency. Special thanks go to Lyndon Tuck, Tom Gerats, Bernard Moxham, Walter Dewitte and Cardiff University.

Blind Petunias 1, Nov 2010

Blind Petunias 2, Nov 2010

Artist in Residence at Cardiff University

From March 2010 onwards I am artist in residence at the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University. I am following up the sowing and growing of four mutant and WT Petunia lines in the plant growth facilities on site in collaboration with Biologist Walter Dewitte from the School of Biosciences and Prof Tom Gerats (Radboud University Nijmegen, The Netherlands), who generously donated the seeds. I am using time-lapse photography to document the floral development of these mutant Petunia plants. 

In an attempt to register and explore dynamic aspects of plant biology I have made animations in the past in which real plants show new ways of movement, growing and evolving. Movements of plant organs have fascinated scientist such as Darwin for many years, but are a far less known aspect of plant life, since these movements are slow and require acquisition over time, of which the human eye and mind is incapable. 

This residency allows me to continue my animation work on plant movements and also it gives me an opportunity to integrate the reality of scientific research in my work and explore the much-debated topic of genetically modified plants. 
This residency is supported by the Leverhulme Trust.

Young Plants, Sept 2010

Hybrid Petunias, Sept 2010