For my body of work I explored the relationship between humans, the built environment and the natural environment. I was interested in the intersection of these and I found āruinedā landscapes to be particular interesting. Desolate sites, wastelands or ruins are a unique environment where human influence on a landscape has been deserted and in turn new opportunities and ācolonisersā arrive. This creates a landscape that allows for imagination, intrigue and is in a sense romanticised. For this project I explored this idea; that āruinedā landscapes and the intersection of human and non-human environments provides us and other forces with a potential to re-imagine. Ā
I began by researching an exhibition, titled āRuin Lustā at the Tate in London. This exhibition explored the use of ruins in art from the 17th century to present day. This was fascinating as it became clear that ruins have been of interest and intrigue throughout history and throughout a range of contexts. Ancient Greek ruins have been a source of romanticism and a chance to imagine the past, ruins from conflict offer a source of remembrance and mourning and abandoned homes and buildings suggest mystery and perhaps even an addictive sense discomfort. Ā I was interested in the modern metropolitan āruinā, where a once nature landscape and environment is used and Ā taken over by a human population and subsequently deserted and left to decay. With the departure of human usage remains a landscape that is free to be re-colonised by outside forces. This intersection of human landscape and natural environment is something I find really interesting; a community can form independently of the surrounding landscape and happenings. Ā
One contemporary American artist I was influenced by was Erika Osbourne. She explores the intersection of the human and environment through mapping. This linked closely to my first project where I used mapping as a way of representing the intersection of place and person, and creating a portrait. The aspect about her work in particular that I found interesting her artist practise, which resembled an almost field guide and site study with small drawings, photographs and found objects. I thought this was an interesting way to create and āimageā of a particular landscape and linked closely to the original topic question I have been exploring, which encompasses human and environment and I think provides an opportunity to combine practises in both fine arts and science. Additionally, her series that used mapping and blank space spoke of imagination and potential. I wanted to explore this concept in my project.
From this research I began considering this āruinedā landscape as a blank space, an opportunity for re-imagination and for potential. For my project I wanted to create a series that explored this idea and create a dialog that speaks to the audience of a landscape with possibility. I went to two different locations in Surry Hills that I would consider modern metropolitan ruins; one abandoned petrol station and another abandoned building and surrounding site. Both locations expressed a juxtaposing sense of ruin and dilapidation, and intrigue, potential and an almost romanticised sense of rebellion. In particular, three different aspects of reclamation of the sites became evident to me;
First, was the ever present and spreading natural influence. Plants, birds and other animals re-inhabited the areas. This was fascinating as it demonstrated an in-between world where nature reclaims a previously human structure and environment
Secondly, people and new human influence was evident. People used the site as a canvas to create art and graffiti, others used the sites as a place to dump rubbish. In particular, the tag āListerā who is an artist/ street artist/ self proclaimed vandal. This tag I thought represented and encompassed the human desire to make use of desolate or empty spaces and utilise the idea of a blank canvas as a way to rebel against society structures and as a way to express themselves publicly
Thirdly, the presence of a greater society and governing bodies was evident in development proposal signs at one of the sites. This was both interesting and expected. The image or symbol of a modern ruin suggests a lack of human control over a landscape, which is not viewed positively by governing bodies as it leaves a potential for other forces to take advantage of the idea of a āblank canvasā.
For my series I used photographs to explore the different forces or ācolonisersā that inhabit and take advantage of a ruined landscape including nature, human expression and the desire of governing bodies to gain control of landscapes that they deem āout of controlā. I captured the tag āListerā, plant overgrowth and fencing and other barrier structures. I also created a text piece; one was a copy of the DA proposal that was located at one of the sites, the other was an appropriation of the proposal where I considered the views of graffiti artist āListerā. Finally, I created graphite sketches of the landscapes reminiscent of en plein air sketches and rough drawings of landscape scene historically and contemporarily. I wanted the sketches to suggest a sense of nostalgia and memory of these landscapes, as if they were drawn in a diary, and also be suggestive of a field work study and that way of imagining the landscape.
Derwent Project, David Stephenson and Martin Walch, https://vimeo.com/derwentproject, accessed 28.8.17
Irresistible Decay: ruins reclaimed, Michael S. Roth Et al., 1997, The Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities
Nevada Art Museum, http://www.nevadaart.org/exhibition/erika-osborne-the-back-of-the-map/ , accessed 7.9.17
Posthumanism, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthumanism, accessed 10.9.17
Temporary Art Review, Sage Dawson, http://temporaryartreview.com/the-back-of-the-map-at-the-center-for-art-environment-nevada-museum-of-art/, accessed 7.9.17
Tate Modern, London, 2014, http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-britain/exhibition/ruin-lust, accessed 5.9.17
Erika Osbourne, Fire Point Timber Sale II, 2005, Digital print of drawing on skin, 84ā x 42ā, http://www.erikaosborne.com/work/mbc/5.php Ā
Erika Osbourne, Fire Point Timber Sale I, 2005, Digital print of drawing on skin, 84ā x 42ā, http://www.erikaosborne.com/work/mbc/4.php
Jon Savage, Uninhabited London, 1977-2008, photograph, http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jon-savage-12580, accessed 5.9.17
Robert Rauschenberg, White Painting [three panel], 1951 https://www.sfmoma.org/artwork/98.308.A-C
