In responce to the AA2A's Environmental Summer promotion I wrote the statement - "The best guide to being an environmentalist is to be shrewd and from this idealism the whole of mankind can gain. By saving offcuts I reduce the natural resources that I use to make my work" For the enclosed sculpture I used recyled wood such as old floor boards and laths (which are used to pack ceramic tiles) to make the Wardian case. The fabric came from off cuts from other projects.
Project: Reactionary | Title: A Play, With Light - Wardian case No 2
Subject: Environmental
The inspiration for this sculpture cam from reading about how Edwardian botanists designed Wardian cases to increase the chances of survival of their plant discoveries when being shipped back home. The plants had to endure life on the deck and so faced all the elements of the sun, wind, and spray from the salt water. The design of the cases developed over time and each feature created better conditions for the plants. Air vents, sun blinds and sloping roofs with wire mesh were built into the wooded cases and the plants were housed in separate compartments to keep the pH values of the soil apart.
I use these cases to create a concept for the artwork as I imagined that each case was a small stage that unfolded as story developed.
