Artist in Residence at Ventnor Botanic Gardens - Summer 2021

During my two month residency at Ventnor Botanic Garden I focused on what I deem to be the unsung heroes of nature - ants, spiders, root systems, trees, fungi and seeds, exploring how these organisms work in symbiosis from birth to death to decay in order to maintain a balanced and healthy eco system. I explored these subjects through writing, drawing, collecting found objects, casting, documenting, filming, painting and experimental sculpture, before refining my findings into two main works Specimens of a Heroic Nature I and II which remain in the botanic garden.

Specimens of a Heroic Nature I exhibits concrete casts of seeds and fungi and upscaled sculpted insects atop rusty metal tiles which form a grid like structure. Presented within this formulaic framework I allude to scientific study, emphasising each organisms's importance and displaying the vital relationships that exist between them. By placing the concrete sculptures on a decaying structure I pay homage to each creature’s significant role in the planet's process of decay. I aim to make beautiful a vital part of the life cycle which is often overlooked or deemed revolting. By using cement fondu I make permanent a unique body that otherwise would die and rot, allowing close inspection of the structure and form of the cast objects.

Specimens of a Heroic Nature II relates to its predecessor through use of the same materials and many of the same cast objects. Its difference rests largely in its monument like structure and in the process of its creation. I gathered a large collection of scrap metal and cast an abundance of fungi, plants, seeds and tree branches ready to be built together. The pieces of metal had in some cases taken merged with rocks and sand and thus I named these pieces Nature's Sculptures. I found the fragments nestled between large boulders on the beach and created concrete representations of boulders for the base. From there I combined the casts and metal intuitively, building them together with cement fondu. In this outdoor sculpture I wished to present the extraordinary adaptability of and collaboration between nature’s organisms, creating a monument to display and celebrate their command of their environment and their resilience against human interference.