After Ernst Haeckel.

After Ernst Haeckel.

After Ernst Haeckel - Drawing 3
Pen on acetate

After Ernst Haeckel - Drawing 2.
Pen on acetate

After Earnst Haeckel- Drawing 1.
Pen on acetate.

life cycle of a bean- drawing 2.
Rooting and shooting.

Life cycle of a bean - drawing 1
Bean shell splits open

Whiteboard discussion around taking the idea of body drawing further.

The common place.

Initial body drawings informed by the plants P5 had been investigating.

P5 and I go out in our respective locations in search of evidence of the different stages we had already identified within the life cycle of flowering plants.

Above: Rathlin findings - whiteboard feedback with P5.
I focused only upon species which are present within the Rathlin "Square Metre"

Plant scan.
P5 send this shot of their printed image and we all like the effect of the printer ink running low.

Opening no 3

Opening no 2.

Opening no1.

The Red Line.
N.B. Please click to view full image

The Red Line.

Red dead nettle detail.

Cow Parsely

Celandine group drawing.

Celandine - the unseen

Celandine - the seen.

The plant specimens were laid out on sheets of white paper and then floated in water to spread the intricate root systems.

Plants were gently caressed in water to remove as much of the soil as feasible and then pint brushes use to tease out the root systems.

The whole plant.
We carefully selected a few species of common plant for extraction - above red dead nettle.
The root systems as much under study as the parts of the plant normally on view.
N.B.We did replant all after.

Plant identification

We moved all needed to spend the whole of the day outside.

Ballydown Metre Square

Looking and seeing

High rise

Seeing and not seeing.

"Mid-Winter and the countryside is so still. It seems almost lifeless but these trees, bushes and grasses around me are living organisms and face the same sorts of problems, just like animals, if they are to survive ; they have to fight, compete for mates, invade new territories.

The reason of course that we are so seldom aware of these dramas is that plants live on a different time scale."
David Attenborough, The Private Life of Plants. ( read more )

Taught

Docken excavation.

I'm just as excited now as back in Spring 2008 when I first came across Patrick Roper and his Square Metre project.
http://squaremetre1.blogspot.com/2006/03/introduction-to-project.html

Above is my own square metre here on Rathlin. I'm looking forward to existing within this universe again.

Open Day communications.

Water Ways Ireland: detail

I made a "real" visit to attend the open day - in part so I could ensure getting the framed soot prints there in one piece!

This also meant I got to experience first hand the other work we have been doing together. To date I've been privy only to web cam, Marratech whiteboard and journal viewing.

Image: Water Ways Ireland.
Often we look at maps we are concerned with the land mass. Here we focused upon water and the land mass exists only as identified by water formations.

To see how much detail this process can carry have a look at the finger prints above!

I enjoy the contrast between the precision of the printed line and the mark of the flame.

Areas of image reveal minute detail and counterbalance beautifully to others where line teeters off and disappears into the depths of the dark soot.

P5 soot print.
I'm amazed by the detail revealed through the soot.

I applaud Miss Orr in undertaking the risk to "play with fire" !

I enjoy the visual connection between plant veins and the river systems we have been studying – they of course both serve to carry water.

......................................................

I discovered this gem of a site

http://www.bizarrelabs.com/index.htm#A

... and was introduced to the technique of printing using soot. ( read more )

These individual images work really well together as a whole but as our Open Day is on the 17th Feb I'll not spoil the element of surprise until after the event !

We decided not to laminate the pouches as they lost a lot of their subtlety in the process - the closed over pouch simply encases the charcoal image within.

Using laminates and charcoal we focused wholly upon the rivers and waterways within the images from Google Earth.

Detail from "Mississippi, Thames, Severn, Nile and Bann."
(Google Earth)

Detail from "Mississippi, Thames, Severn, Nile and Bann."
(Google Earth)

Detail from "Mississippi,Thames, Severn, Nile and Bann."
(Google Earth)

Detail from "Mississippi,Thames, Severn, Nile and Bann."
(Google Earth)

Detail from "Mississippi, Thames, Severn, Nile and Bann."
(Google Earth)

I'm hooked on virtual travel with Google Earth.

P5 are studying water as their current topic and I had asked them to select the names of five rivers.I invested quite chunk of the project time allotted for artist's response into travelling the Mississippi, the Thames, the Severn, the Nile and the Bann and pulling out stills.

I find this ability to investigate the surface of planet earth from an aerial perspective absolutely intriguing.

Image title: "Mississippi,Thames,Severn,Nile and Bann"
(Google Earth)

Acetate drawings

The process of drawing collaboratively lead to interesting developments.

Texture - Mapping.

Who did you invite?

As mentioned below P5 selected a map from week one which showed clearly the five stages of movement with the accompanying directions and measurements.

We translated these into an appropriate scale to use this same set of directions to take us from point to point both within the grounds at the school and at the same time on Rathlin Island.

As an artist I am fascinated by the idea that we can explore these two geographically separate places simultaneously through tandem activity.

P5 selected one set of directions from the solids/liquids and gas movement maps.They are as follows

East 17cm

East North East 10cm

South South West 40cm

East 36cm

North east 12cm

I've more to write up concerning measuring and scale and photographs

I asked P5 to ut down on paper how they would travel, using any mode of transport, form their location in school at Ballydown to mine in the studio on Rathlin.

We did not refer to any maps or other information -relying only upon what was within our heads.
Journeys and directions and noted were mapped down- a combination of known fact and the imaginary - head mapping

The journal has become a really central part to our project.
We use it to document and review as to put the work within the public arena.

I'm aware there is a concurrent blur in this series of photographs but I do want to represent this part of our exploration within the journal.

Our bodies expand and contract as we inhale and exhale air.
P5 were asked to find ways to make marks mapping these changes.

The teacher, artist working partnership is crucial.
We recognize each other as professionals and rely on each other's strengths.
We of course have many aims and objectives in common but it's also important to be aware we have differing ones as well and that good communication is central to the partnership flourishing.

I consider myself fortunate as an artist to have the opportunity to work in partnership with a teacher like Julie.( Miss Orr of course)

Two weeks later -

The hand wash, paint and vinegar map has dried out to a large extent and visually is amazing.

It has drawn in dye from the red paper placed below it intended purely as a physically support when the piece was at its soggiest ! Chystalization is beginning in areas.

As an artist I am constantly investigating the effects of the passage of time. I am truly excited by these chance happenings.

Liquid mixing experimentation involving hand wash, paint and vinegar.

I was having a xxxxxx ( can't find the adjective ) day regarding my own documentation!

These reminder notes below are to be written up later -
fast pace
filled my head space
no distance
step out , stand back and view
documentation generally weaker as result - compared to usual
use constant ongoing measuring/evaluation
think through the camera

I repeatedly kept knocking my camera to alternative settings - in this particular instance this worked to my advantage capturing the energy of the moment.

Movement mapping
Explorations into and charting of the physical movement of solid,liquid and gas matter using only the air in our bodies.

P5 I'd always intended to see if these images worked as an animation and while flicking through them on my camera I got a sense of what it should be like - looking forward to getting it together and seeing what you think.

We also discussed visual associations with veins and arteries imagery.

One of the Further Afield criteria is that the artist and teacher strive to find an area of common ground for exploration which is relevant to both professionals.

Miss Orr and I agreed to revisit mapping to develop further the work we’d done together during the pilot project “Space and Place”.

This time the six artist contact days are spread out between mid Sept to early Dec. and in order to link more directly with the P5 curriculum we will be incorporating air ( under the curriculum topic of “ourselves”) in along with mapping at the beginning and water towards the end.

A new collaborative journey begins now between P5 (31 pupils in total), Miss Orr, their class teacher and myself. P5 and I are meeting for the first time but Miss Orr and I worked together for a similar 6 week stint on the pilot project.

I was simply delighted when Miss Orr accepted the invite to participate in this follow up project . ( I am always conscious that these projects require a lot of commitment and extra work for the teacher involved). We had achieved so much through our previous venture together and managed to have such a good time doing so.(read more)

Reminent

not a sign of blight as I'd first though but apparently the remains of the original seed potato

table of weight, in pounds and ounces, of potato produced for different planting methods -
whole seed potato
half seed potato
eye from a seed potato

Ballydown and Rathlin - "The Dig"

unearthing
blight works its way down the plant eventually rotting the tubors but I get there before it!

Signs of blight and real connections with our past

Something's wrong with my potato plants - detective work with P2

Exhibition of work , 28th May, 1 - 2pm, Ballydown Primary School

I have been diligently "earthing up", according to the planting recipes and it is actually a lovely intimate process to carry out.

It is becoming evident at this stage that the amount of potato tuber planted does relate directly to the volume of leaf and stem above the ground.

The "second eye" appears - 100 percent growth success to date irrespective of whether the whole , half or only the eye of the potato was planted.