Well much has happen with the project over the past few months. Firstly in December a two hour exhibition for staff and students to view the work so far. Arriving at a natural end to the first part, before I start to deconstruct and abstract the video.
Fallen, Part One
The original aim to exhibit the work outdoors was dashed by the weather, so the piece was brought indoors.
Projecting onto the four octagonal shaped drums were the video documentation over the previous months:- two time lapse videos, one thermal imagery camera, and one standard video recording of senescence. before I start to abstract the video work. Every so often the sound of a leaf, or conker hitting a drum would echo round the room.
I was very happy to see the way my work is starting to have a three dimensional element, a Tony Oursler without the one-liners. The downside to this piece I really needed to view them outside, the work to me felt claustrophobic, needed more space.
A small break away from the project saw me return in late January, initially organising exhibition locations, so I met up with Michaela Freeman to discuss exhibiting the work at Coexist/TAP in Southend.
Date of the final exhibition May 6th
In TAP hopefully in June and should be the location of a talk Ron, Margaret and I will be doing, supported by firstsite.
February
After spending most of the first part of the project building up a variety of audio and visual documentation, I was eager to sit down with Ron and Margaret to discuss the science behind senescence, and relate that to my own visual practice. Sadly Margaret couldn’t make the meeting.
Friday 4th February,
Meeting with Ron, The Tea Rooms, Writtle College
After ordering a straight forward builders tea for myself, Ron started to discuss botanical science. Whilst Ron was talking my visual mind was working overload. In a meeting that lasted a couple of hours, I soon had a greater understanding of the various complex processes taking place within a leaf during senescence.
The main crux of the discussion centred around the five main growth regulators (Indoleacetic acid, Gibberellins, Cytokinin, Abscisic acid and Ethene.) found within all leaves, these are the key to senescence. Repetition is starting to play a major role within my current work, so I started to discuss with Ron ways in which I could link the work with the five growth regulators, perhaps animating each one individually.
Same day meeting with Jill Raggert and Janie Townshend – CADE
This meeting was spent mainly walking around the college exploring best sites for the final exhibition, one which will have easy access for the public. A very productive meeting and I now have a better understanding of how the works will be exhibited, to me crucially there will be a piece shown over in the science block, which is away from the main campus.
Monday 7th March
Meeting with both Ron and Margaret.
This gave me the chance to show Ron and Margaret how the work had progressed after the initial meeting with Ron.
Also allowed Margaret the chance to discuss in-depth the chemical make up of all five growth regulators. Bringing a new set of numbers, which I’m adding to the video work.
