28.9.21 -Fabricated Nature


The title of our first project this year is 'Fabricated Nature'. I'm already excited about this because my work last year embodied similar themes, of human's role in the natural world, and I found it really enjoyable to explore.

To begin with I wrote down my initial ideas on the subject and thought about what processes I might use. I'm into the idea of the relationship between people and urban birds, particularly pigeons. They are considered vermin, but guess who's fault it is that they are living in the city, instead of on the cliff sides as nature intended? It's both ironic and sad. Anyway, another bird that I'm interested in is crows and the stereotype that they collect shiny objects. I think its quite powerful to imagine a birds nest full of metal, and osprey nests are also mainly composed of human trash in current times, adding layers and layers every year until they are the size of cars. Magpies are also known to be collectors so I want to look at them too, and I think using found objects in my creative processes will be perfect for this. 

Something else that I want to look at is the organic life that grows on man-made forms. Growths like lichen, moss and ferns could be really well represented using textiles and 3D processes. Mushrooms, ivy and weeds are also on my list. The concept of a garden is a perfect example of fabricated nature too. We get to pick and choose which plants we want and how to arrange them, with artificial landscaping and deliberately placed rockeries. Though we try to create an idealised version of nature, weeds and fungi are inevitable and removing them is a microcosm of how we manipulate the natural world. 

Some artists that I'd like to look at are: 

  • Lyndall Phelps
  • Guiseppe Penone
  • Mirin Kou
  • Arthur Tress
  • Anya Gallacio
  • Gregory Crewdson
I'm going to evaluate the project in a reflective way, continuously journalling my progress as I go along. Writing my blog helps me understand what I like about my creations and what doesn't work well for me, so this kind of reflection encourages me to improve and develop my ideas, and allows me to easily get feedback from others.

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