In my work, I am interested in the relationship between humans and nature, and how we relate to one another.
The piece consists of a series of three small sculptures. The first of which is a decomposing skeleton, the second, a pair of human lungs resting on a tree, and the third, a human hand hanging from vines and holding a rose. The process of making these sculptures included foraging natural materials (tigs, vines), sculpting the ‘human’ parts of the sculptures out of air drying clay (The hand in the third sculpture required using alginate and plaster), painting them, taking them into a natural environment and photographing them.
Being displayed in the gallery space is series of nine photographs of the sculptures. Land art is supposed to stay where it was originally made, and taking it out of nature and putting it in a gallery space would make it lose its purpose. Therefore I have decided to display my sculptures in a purely documented way. I have edited the photographs in a gritty way, to give them a serious, more resolute feel. I arranged them in a stair like formation to give the piece a better flow, and to make the viewer’s eyes travel the piece.
The work symbolises how much power nature has over mankind. The skeleton is showing how we will all be claimed back to the earth one day. The lungs are demonstrating how trees are the reason we are breathing, and without them- we could not exist. The hand is representing the invisible hold that our environment has on us; clasping the rose shows our ungrateful dependence.
At the start of this project I intended to make just one sculpture. In making the first one, I felt to develop the work further; there needed to be a small body of work. Also, my concept is all about the power of nature, and to have multiple sculptures, and a larger series of photographs, it will embody the mighty power of mother nature more effectively.
My work is vastly influenced by the land art of Ana Mendieta. The way she combines nature and the human body intrigues me, is it a juxtaposition, is it the opposite? Humans have set themselves apart from nature, but why? Her work sparked many questions and ideas of my own. I find her work to be both meaningful and beautiful which I think a lot of art lacks.
Her work is only accessible through documentation which I find interesting. The fact her work cannot be accessed by the public makes it seem more precious to me, you can look but cannot touch. I have adopted this into my own work. I see this method of documentation as saying, ‘nature doesn’t come to you, you go to nature’.
I tried to use equal parts bought materials, and found natural materials. Combining the human and natural elements in a both physical and metaphorical sense. I wanted my sculptures to have a gritty earthy feel. I did this through the brown/green colour scheme and use of dirt and stones.
Rachel Gibson 