The Weight of Ants in the World (2018-2023)
Multimedia talk and online film screening
Durham University 19th Nov 2020.
Shifts: Photography, Environment, Action
International symposium (invited speaker)
June 2021.
The Weight of Ants in the World is a multidisciplinary project focusing on a pocket of ancient woodland in the centre of an industrial estate in Gateshead, North East England. The work considers the woodland as a witness to industrialisation through an intense engagement with place, reflecting on our interactions with nature in a time of climate emergency and species loss.
Over a period of several years I have intensely documented the site working with photography, video and sound in addition to researching its natural history working with the archivist from the Natural History Society of Northumbria. I have also visited the woodland with environmental specialists, artists and academics as a way of understanding its richness and diversity.
To date the work has been shared at a series of events, talks and film screenings, most recently as part of Hinterlands, Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art (22-23).
South London Gallery September 2019 I presented a range of material from the work in progress at Incidental Assembly an event exploring the legacy of Artists Placement Group. More info here
Film screening and panel discussion Side Cinema (Newcastle Feb 2020) More information here
In addition to this creative work I have also collaborated with ecologists to identify wildlife and secure protection for the woodland. As a result of the project the woods have been designated as a Local Wildlife Site and protected with a Tree Preservation Order. Material related to the project has also been added to the archives of the Natural History Society.