‘Who Will Provide’ Exhibition at The Crypt Gallery
31/10 – 4/11 2018
Our group of thirty three MFA students explored and responded to themes relating to charity and its place in today’s world. The exhibition presented a collection of site specific works, ranging from painting to sculpture, assemblage to video through to performance and photography.
Before the summer break preparations started by putting together various teams to properly organise and execute the event. The members of the research team responded to the site by looking into its history, connecting it to its past and designed the theme ’Who Will Provide?’ around the wish list, a document from 1995 which outlined the desired purpose for the building. This included shelter and provision for the homeless, serving the nearby student population and a focal point for community activities.
I volunteered to join the Installation Team. Over the summer I visited the crypt twice with the view to inform myself about the site (wall space, wall and ceiling heights, location of electrical outlets etc.) and to explore a potential location for my own work.
Two weeks prior to the event the curating team got in touch and supplied our team with a list of required tools and materials. We also received technical information on some more complicated works and installing requirements from The Crypt Gallery itself (No drilling of new holes!). There was very good collaboration between curating and installation team and minor installation problems were efficiently dealt with.
SKILLS: HANDLING ARTWORK, COLLABORATION, PROBLEM SOLVING, ATTENTION TO DETAIL,
SITE SPECIFIC WORKING
'The Growing Lab'
Biomass material grown with mycelium, recycled wood, grow- at- home-oyster mushroom kits, mycelium fabric, fungi spores, clay
2019
Dimensions variable
This installation represents the outcome of inspirations and processes over the 2 year MFA program.
Multitudes of experiments, investigations, deepened research, exhibition visits and exploring other, similar minded artists and their works, are underpinning my concerns about climate change, biodiversity and sustainability of our planet, my interest into the interconnectedness of all matter and my issues of appropriation as opposed to fabrication, and the natural versus the man-made.
Looking back, there was a key influence at the start of my studies after having read
‘The Hidden Life of Trees' by Peter Wohlleben
which led to investigations and works into the communications among plants and trees.
I Will Find You
This work was also inspired by research into the importance of mycelium, the spider like organism present underground.Combining model making materials with live plants, it was installed on a wall. Delicate and fragile, it looked 'pleasing' to the eye but didn't convey my intention
A seemingly natural progression followed by exploring the world ‘below the ground’ and inspired the site- specific installation ‘Pearl Delight’, shown at Crypt Gallery, London. This work drew attention to new ideas about sustainable products and
proved to be influential for future work.
Pearl Delight
This work is a site specific response to the brief ‘Who Will Provide?’ about St. Pancras Church and its Crypt, centring around ideas of provision and preservation of services, safety and shelter for the community.
In line with current concerns on sustainability, my idea to use
'Grow- at -Home' oyster mushroom kits seemed appropriate as these bags cause no damage the environment, in fact they recycle waste and would be ......'serving the community by feeding the needy'.
The Crypt also offered suitable growing grounds as fungi like it damp and cool whilst needing little light.
A lot of experimentation( keeping records and taking images) was needed to get the growing process organised.Working with living organism proved to be quite stressful as nature cannot be fully controlled -a lesson learnt and to be remembered. Always have a back up!
At the exhibition the boxes were hung on walls and placed on the floor, emitting a pungent smell around the area.
During this time I experimented with plaster, wood, plastic and clay to address and give shape to my themes of growth and decay, exploring the ambivalent subject of the natural and the man-made, the scientific versus the mythical.
Fake Nature
Responding to media coverage and the broadcasting
of the documentary 'Drowning in Plastic' on the BBC,
I experimented by collaging and building objects with man -made and natural materials.Burning plastic pieces created visually appealing shapes. Casting a piece of a tree trunk in cement and contrasting it with live plants it questions our perception of what's fake and what isn't.
Mushroom Project
Following latest reports by The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew on fungi worldwide and the fungi's increasing importance as a future recycler, I set upon fabricating mushroom shaped sculptures (approx. 8cm), using oven bake clay.
Baking them at varying degrees and lengths of time resulted in interesting surface variations.
Deepening my studies into fungi and its astonishing properties and latest findings
I researched biomaterial companies and manufacturers using mushroom technology.
One of these companies, KROWN, based in The Netherlands, produces sustainable biomass panels, used in insulation and in theatre installation.
These panels became the starting point of the project.
I carried out experiments with ‘Grow It Yourself ‘biomass material kits at home which weren’t always successful as these materials need certain constant temperature and sterile conditions during experimentation but I did manage to grow a few bowls in various sizes.
Using also bought objects and samples of these biomass materials, I set upon combining these scientific products within imaginary setting
‘Mushroom Survival Kit
to Save the World'
This artwork combined latest discoveries on fungi and its symbolism and medicinal properties.
Fictitious samples of mushroom enzymes ( based on scientific findings) were placed into glass bottles and then into a bought, mycelium biomass container; an accompanying text
described latest scientific findings. To be fully understood, the work needed the text; letting it speak for itself is to be kept in mind for future
Further trials resulted in works like ‘Organic Abstract 1 ' (left image) and 'Organic Abstract 2’ (right image) where dried mushrooms were shaped into a sculpture and organic shapes of various sizes were cut out of biomass panels and then assembled .
Visiting the exhibition 'Designing the Living' Read More and participating on a tour at 'Underground Urban Farm' Read More proved
to be another key moment. The idea of an imaginary space using sustainable materials and products began to appear.
The installation 'Fear Fruit', shown a few months earlier, has proved to be a valuable lesson on how to approach this method:
to carefully consider what to include and what not, to let the work speak for itself by avoiding too much explanatory text and to attempt to make the audience a participant of the setting.
‘Fear Fruit'
My installation 'Fear Fruit ' responded to the issue of global warming, in particular to the impact on fruit trees observed in summer 2018. Under pressure from increased temperatures, the trees produced unprecedented amounts of fruits.
The artwork attempted to communicate these findings but was not quite successful as a poetic and ambiguous angle was missing to allow room for a less didactic interpretation.
The artists Joan Jonas and Joseph Beuys influenced my idea about the way I wanted to create this installation .
Jonas's exhibition at Tate Modern highlighted the importance of playing to the viewer's senses, immersing them in a stimulating encounter.
Images of Joseph Beuys's rooms 'Block Beuys' at the Hessische Landesmuseum had a visual impact on me how to set up my work.
During the Easter break, experimenting with the theme of growth and the idea of fabricating rather than using ready made materials and objects , I sculpted from clay around 150 mushrooms and made a short video of the making process.
I also produced a time-lapse video of growing oyster mushrooms which did stretch my abilities as I had never embarked on this kind of project before. Getting to grips with unfamiliar equipment, it also needed a lot of planning, setting up, trial and error and numerous visits and help from the college video department until the final version was ready.
In the end both videos were not suitable for the installation but will be useful for a future project.
I continued to explore key artists such as ‘Mark Dion’ and ‘Joan Jonas’.
Heather Ackroyd's lecture at Wimbledon College was very inspiring and prompted me into further exploration of these artists.
Booking a space on numerous occasions proved to be essential for experimenting with the panels: how to use them spatially to give the impression of a room and then how to stabilise them. After many trials, a wooden construction was found to keep them securely into place. Made out of recycled , sustainable wood, the support purposely doesn't blend in; it is meant to be a construction tool , not part of the laboratory idea. Easily de-installed, I am avoiding damage to the panels, being mindful to the concerns about sustainability.
New ideas also emerged whilst assembling and placing the materials and objects, constructing for instance a table and a stool.
Some changes to my proposal had to be made as a new rule disallows drilling new holes into the ceiling.
I had planned to have live growing mushroom bags hanging down into the installation, adding to the idea of a laboratory.
Visiting the fabric fair 'Sustainable Angle' Read More I discovered a material made out of 100% mushroom. Looking like leather, the strips are light enough to be suspended by strings from ceiling, attached by damage free hooks.
In the final set up the viewer is physically able to enter the work, heightening their sense of vision and smell and becomes a participant to the setting.
