‘Correlate’

the show I’m proposing has a working title of ‘Correlate’ (ˈkɒrələt’)  and would follow-on from two previous exhibitions in Edinburgh- namely ‘Fragment’ (fraɡˈmɛnt) at Summerhall and ‘Aggregate’ at the Tent Gallery. It will consist of visually resonant prints and sculpture that incorporate found objects and physical processes in a socially engaged Beuysian imbroglio of the concrete and the abstract to produce a deeply affective and darkly ecological more- than-human poetics for the age of entanglement. 

expanding our temporal horizons:

three key elements to this show, the past, present and future 

ROOM 1 (the past)

a large array of baggage … vintage suitcases, old trunks, briefcases and chests fill the gallery -  each wears a heavy patina of scuffs, dents torn tags and stickers like battle scars or traces of forgotten journeys.

The suitcases contain a series of photographs of endangered ecologies that gradually deteriorate when exposed to daylight. These inherently unstable images are examples of ’Anthotypes’ – an early form of cameraless photography made with organic plant pigments and sunlight developed by Scottish polymath Mary Somerville in 1842.  Gallery visitors will be entitled to open the cases to view the prints but in doing so will participate in their degradation.  There will be a correlation between the image content and the plant matter used to create them e.g Coral reefs (using algae) rainforests (using chlorophyll) arctic marine ecosystems (using seagrass)

ROOM 2 (present) 

Boorach, rupture, heap

In this series of sculptural assemblages incorporating waste materials from the north bridge refurbishment and salvaged from A9 motorway development, entangled heaps of rebar and cement redolent of mycelial networks, or early life-forms resonate with dark materiality. These strangely symbiotic assemblages of steel and cement, bridge the industrial and ecological. By exposing the torn fabric of the city which like any infrastructure or relationship becomes visible when breaking down, the artist is revealing parallels between human-scaled urban-environment, the so called ‘anthromes’ which are built and maintained through civil engineering projects and processes - with the wider ecologies and complex natural systems which may be too large or small to apprehend directly and yet are fundamental to our survival.

ROOM 3 (The future)

Cultivating creativity through collaboration – 

emerging from the ruins, fungi are natures recyclers and a model of resilience & resourcefulness. Silently transporting energy, information and water right under our feet while creating and sustaining multi-species life-worlds though complex inter-species entanglements. Similar in some senses to the work of Balfour Beatty - the vital endeavours of the humble fungi often go unnoticed and yet are vital for the structure and function of the larger system of living and non-living parts in which we human beings are just one species among many. 

By celebrating people, projects and places of regeneration, renewal and multidisciplinary collaborative endeavour, this work is about “Inspiring Environmental Action”. Existing as both a gallery-based mapping project and a multi-site sculptural piece which will combine the excitement and spontaneity of street art with a socio-ecological sensibility this work will ‘cultivate the art of noticing’ and encourage public to explore new ways of seeing and being in the city.  

Part one exists in the gallery showing the city of Edinburgh and the Lothians on which are marked multiple sites of interest.  The second part extends out into the city itself- integrating the gallery with the fabric of the city by creating an expansive virtual wunderKammer of public art works, community projects,  art-science collaborations, city pocket parks medicinal gardens and unsung heroines of art and science  - What might seem like an eclectic assemblage of people and projects at first glance are united by their underlying ethic, their deep curiosity tempered with care and their shared spirit of collaboration, creativity and kindness.

The work will consist of many small sculptures made with high-carbon steel rivets removed from the North Bridge as part of the ongoing restoration project. The rusted rivets have been salvaged and welded-together to create small fungi-like clusters that will be enamelled in the deep reds and blues of the original bridge but unlike other contemporary art works which stand on street corners shouting for attention, these subtle little forms will sprout from the very fabric of the city at sites of learning, renewal, communication & creativity - rewarding the observant viewer by “cultivating of the art of noticing”.

like mushrooms which are just the visible part of a much larger underground organism - each fist sized fabrication somehow vitalises the cement, stone or steel from which it emerges and suggests a much larger entity not immediately obvious to the naked eye and yet alive with ideological interconnections and cognitive correspondences. Each piece will be accompanied by small QR code- etched in zinc or brass plate that will reveal hidden dimensions of that place –  historical contexts, inspirational projects or visionary residents whose life and work serve as a beacon for collaborative survival in a changing world. 

by producing companion maps on paper derived from fungal mycelium or on mobile app that could evolve over time (like popular scavenger-hunt or ‘geo-cashing’ games like Munzi which have over 160k players worldwide) residents and visitors would be invited to embark on urban foraging expeditions to explore ideas, places and projects throughout Edinburgh and beyond that would excite, educate and inspire.  Unlike augmented reality like the Pokémon go which encourages users to focus on their handsets thereby alienating them from their environment, this artwork is at its heart about bridging our inner and outer worlds - reconnecting us to our surroundings, each other and to the living world.