Charys Wilson*

“in large numbers we moved indoors. A more contrived and controlled landscape replaced one that had been far less contrived and controllable. Wild animals, once regarded as teachers and companions, were increasingly replaced with animals bred for docility and dependence. Our sense of reality once shaped by our complex sensory interplay with the seasons, sky, forest, wildlife, savanna, desert, rivers, seas, and the night sky increasingly came to be shaped by technology and artificial realities.”

 – (Lucy Jones. Loosing Eden: why our minds need the wild)

 

These artificial realities are more prevalent in our modern world. Mimicry of the natural world, cheap plastic flowers and plants for convenience, virtual reality experiences, fake grass, sound recordings of the natural world being played in toilets, restaurants, and lifts. A consumer-based fakery, providing us with nothing but further pollution, and an added sense of disconnection from the natural world.

Artworks that have stayed with me and have had the biggest impact, are ones that I have personally been physically immersed within.

Real experience is one of the most rewarding things in life, be it good or bad, an experience is something that shapes our being and stays with us. Experiencing something in real life using multiple senses becomes more deeply embedded in our memory, rather than sight alone.

Over the past year I have begun to move my practice into a more experiential zone through installation. I create pieces which aim to evoke a feeling of calm, a sense of stillness within the viewer whilst observing them. I construct ephemeral props for my installations using recycled and biodegradable materials, mimicking the natural world. A form of repetitive mass production, hundreds of paper leaves, blades of grass, all hand cut but by a single person. This form of mass production being not for commercial or economic gain, but as a form of recycling, meditation, creating something experiential out of something normally disregarded. I have thought about how everyday materials as well as mundane moments can be transformed into something much more meaningful if given attention and an altered perspective.

This imitation of the natural world is fabricated from a place of appreciation, aiming to reconnect and work in tandem with the earth, questioning perspective as well as use of time. It is through the process of constructing these botanicals that I hope to gain a closer connection and heightened awareness of my surroundings, studying certain native plants, remaking them, understanding their form, health benefits, name, and overall attributes, a skill that is becoming lost in modern society. Without having a connection to the natural world, people begin to lose interest in protecting it. I aim to reflect the fragility of nature with these temporary ephemeral works.

Coming from a background in printmaking my attention is often focused on qualities of alignment and layering. Cutting absences to create positive areas has been embedded into my thinking, I see absences also as positive inversions, absent space allows for imagination and contemplation.

These printmaking values of alignment and layering are evident within my current work, where I obstruct/direct light, manipulating it, using tracing paper or fabric to shield yet simultaneously illuminate, diffusing shadows, and harnessing projections of light. Light is a prominent element within my work. I use it as a tool to give a quality and sense of depth within my artworks. I use natural light when possible, creating an instant connection to the natural world.

These three-dimensional works consist of handmade botanicals which are placed behind a thin translucent screen, to obstruct a clear view. Enabling the faint illusion of reality, but on closer inspection being able to decipher twists in the wire, or areas that are clearly handmade, prompting viewers to not always believe everything they see, in a time when we are increasingly presented with falsified senses of what is and is not ‘real’.

By using screens, I create ambiguity within my work, which is used to evoke a sense of curiosity within the viewer as well as echoing a lack of clarity, uncertainty surrounding our current struggles with climate change and ecological awareness. The light casting illumination on these matters, in a subtle and quiet way.

During the last semester I fabricated ‘window boxes’ in which to place these botanicals, creating a portal or window to the natural world, while simultaneously creating a connection to our manmade interiors, the home a place of refuge and safety. These ‘windows’ are placed within a dark interior to create heightened contrast, a bright light illuminating the work from behind, reminiscent of the illumination of religious icons, adding a spiritual feel to the natural world. The scarcity of colour within my work allows for our sense of sight, which would often be overpowered with the vibrancy of the natural world, to instead focus on and appreciate the quality of form and delicacy of nature. The darkened setting heightens our senses, areas of absence alongside areas of detail help promote a feeling of stillness. The illusion of visual depth within these works creates an atmosphere of the potential for something else, introducing the element of time, both still and passing.

Aspects are being hidden, a form of concealment, protection, secrecy, nature being placed within ‘boxes’ a form of preservation, almost as though they are display cases with preserved, but also tangible moments of nature and time within.

Something I have struggled with during the past year is balancing my time outdoors, alongside time spent in the studio. I would often pass off my time spent in nature as leisure/ relaxation, constantly feeling guilty for not being in the studio creating, not seeing these moments as research when in fact they are. My time spent outdoors directly inspires my work, so moving forward this is an aspect I am going to work on, changing my mindset, and realising a harmonious flow between joy, relaxation, and practice.

I personally think one outcome of the pandemic has been people paying more attention to the natural world. Embracing, and appreciating each daily walk, taking their time, I would see others stop, watch, and listen to their immediate surroundings.

Our health and that of the natural world are intrinsically linked.