- Venue
- Hannah Maclure Centre
- Location
Life in process.
Three floors above ground level at the Hannah Maclure Centre, a man lays buried under a few inches of dirt. The earth that covers his chest cracks and settles rhythmically as it rises and falls with his breath, giving the illusion that the earth itself is breathing. Above him, wine in hand, artists and scientists discuss the work and the topic of the day. This is the place where art and science meet, the place from which both disciplines grew; Soil.
An interesting notion occurs to me as I watch Jonathan Baxter’s performance for the opening night; a man must ‘die’ for the soil to live. This seems a stark reminder that one of our most important yet overlooked resources is being depleted by overpopulation. It is precisely this kind of idea that the show aims to provoke discussion about.
Co-curated by Jonathan Baxter and Clare Brennan, the exhibition brings together the scientific research of the SIMBIOS Centre at Abertay University with the work of seven artists responding to the theme of soil, to create an interdisciplinary and interactive space for exploration and discussion. The HMC lends itself well to this. With a more relaxed atmosphere than other gallery spaces, a coffee bar and plenty of comfortable places to sit, the invitation is there to spend time with the exhibition; an invitation well worth taking up.
Sarah Gittins’ graceful yet powerful prints depict everyday ways we encounter incidents of environmental concern, while the elegant film by Daziel and Scullion depicting the development of plant life provides a peaceful corner in which to contemplate 200 million years of evolutionary process, the haunting soundtrack of which permeates through the whole space.
Ashley Nieuwenhuizen’s video piece Loam, at first seems to suggest a symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, as several snails slide their way over her moss covered face before the screen switches to her mouth, full of worms wriggling over each other. However the more time spent with the film the more sinister it becomes, the eye is lurking beneath the moss watching the unsuspecting snails, the mouth seems to devour the worms and the once peaceful soundtrack of birds becomes menacing in light of its relation to the prey animals on screen. The piece hints at an underlying darkness with regards to the affect humans can have on the other animals we share the planet with.
Jan Hendry’s pigments are samples of rock and soil that she uses to make paintings. However it is not the finished works that are on show, rather the carefully labelled and ordered pigments themselves; the raw earths that show the process of working and are reminiscent of scientific specimens. These are interspersed throughout the show and resonate with Baxter’s soil samples collected at various sites around Dundee from which the SIMBIOS team have created virtual flythroughs and 3D models of the soil structure.
There are also several works in progress/process. The maquette and research book of a project by Daziel and Scullion at Pooley Colliery, a place where human exploitation of natural resources has left the soil and water poisoned, yet life still hangs on. Or the tin shaped compost from Séfanie Bourne, part of her Red Herring project at Devron Arts.
In fact the whole show is about process and discovery. At the research hub, a factual slideshow and a collection of books are available to browse for those who wish to delve deeper into soil and related issues. The centre piece of the show, a large bed of the substance in question, is itself a platform for exploration and discussion. Visitors are encouraged to get close to the soil, to put their hands into it in order to really understand it and its impact on life. Those who choose to engage, themselves become artists, scientists, performers and researchers, and it is this that is the real life of the exhibition.
The show does not preach but the message is clear to anyone to cares to see it, our roots are in the soil and dirt is more important to us than we think. We must remember while we have our heads in the clouds that are feet are and forever must remain, in the soil.
