I have a lifelong interest in gardening and wildlife. In recent years I have become fascinated with the Northern Brown Argus and the Durham Argus Butterflies. Both are rare, but as its name suggests, the Durham Argus rarer and only found in County Durham. It resides on the Durham Magnesium Limestone as this Alkaline ground favours the caterpillar’s sole food: Common Rock-rose.
I have never seen this Butterfly and want to action my research by exploring the sites it frequents, including: Durham Wildlife Trust’s Bishop Middleham Quarry and Raisby Hill. In addition, the work of National Trust Ranger Wayne Appleton and Butterfly Conservation inform this project proposal and the opportunity to consult experts will be invaluable to the success of this proposal.
The bursary will enable me familiarise myself with the landscapes and further experience the capture of Butterflies with still and moving image. This is ambitious: due to its small size; swift, low, and often darting movement, it can be difficult to detect and identify when flying. However, I am developing experience in Digital Video capture of Butterflies, and this project will offer the opportunity to deepen my knowledge and extend my skills to create a new artworks.
whilst further developing film and editing skills.
explore technological options…screen tech, TV advert/local broadcast….
The locations of this project are all within County Durham, many within 20 miles of Darlington. I am fascinated by this landscape that spans Geology, History, Botany, Lepidoptera, and Conservation, and want to contribute to telling its unique story. The Coal and Magnesium Limestone, formed during the Carboniferous and Permian periods 300 million years ago, created the raw materials whose commercial demand shaped the industrial infrastructure, landscape and communities within during the 19C to the current day. The relationships of Industry, Community and Ecology in these Industrial and post industrial landscapes combine in these unique Butterfly habitats; it’s a fantastic multi-layered story that lends itself to the medium of film and photography; projection and the screen.
Influenced by my interest in optics my practice utilises lens based capture of ephemeral materials within everyday situations. The accumulation and dispersal of particles such as seeds or dust are distributed to highlight the residues and remnants of an performance event or intervention. The relationship between still and moving image, has further developed into light based projections and video works that capture fireworks or commercial signage. The wings of the Northern Brown Argus exhibit a silvery sheen as a result of interference effects. This is caused by light scattering when hitting the nanoscale structures of their wings. Recent technology into developing more lifelike television screens is based upon these refractive properties. I am now filming Butterflies in the St.Ann’s Meadow to try and capture this and hope to show on televisions using this technology. This is something I would like to try for The Dover Prize.
BA (Hons) Fine Art – Humberside University 2:1 1993
Masters Fine Art – Newcastle University 2005 Pass with Distinction (Practice)/ Merit (Theory)
All projects listed under previous commissions and residencies were funded by local authorities, regional Arts Councils and galleries.
St.Ann’s Meadow Project
From 2015-2022 I established and maintained an urban meadow opposite my previous address, a ground floor flat in St. Ann’s Close, 10 minutes from Newcastle city centre. It was a relatively large space where a community hut once stood. I sowed a variety of flowers, carefully researched those found in the North East, including Devils Bit Scabious, and Birds Foot Trefoil. It has been amazing to see these wildflowers establish and attract Field Grasshopper, Meadow Brown, Burnet Moth, Small Copper & Common Skipper butterflies, not to mention numerous Bees. The space is recognised for it’s contribution to Biodiversity in the Ouseburn by Newcastle City Council. I am currently creating a Digital Video that captures the environment, plants and insectivore activity. I undertook training to use a HD Sony FX7 and initial footage is promising.
2014 Commission The Newbridge Project, Newcastle upon Tyne
2014 Commission The Late Shows/Tyne & Wear Museums
2009 Commission Inspired by The Dream of Fluxus, Baltic Centre for
Contemporary Art
2008 Commission The Enchanted Moment, Hatton Gallery, Newcastle
upon Tyne
2007 Commission Waygood Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne
2004 Commission Inspire Project, Ashington Centre for Enterprise
1998 Commission Focal Point Digital Darkroom, Southend-on-Sea
University of Cambridge, Kettle’s Yard
University of Wales, Aberystwyth
University of Bristol, Live Art Archive
Nov-Dec 2009 De Ridder, Willem, ’Fluxus Tales’, Flash Art n.269
Performance Now and Then, Gallery North, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Jan 2008 Live Art Development Agency, “Joining the Dots”, DVD
Jan 2007 Winter, Bianca, “Expo 06”, AN Magazine
24 Aug 2006 Levy, Alison B, “Splendour at the Market”, NY Arts Magazine
2 May 2006 Mansfield, Susan, “Flourishing festival is a sign of things to come”, The
Scotsman
May 2001 Jones, Jonathan R, “Still Life: The Remix”, Art Review
Jan 2001 Jeffrey, Ian, “The Language of Things”, Catalogue Essay, Kettle’s Yard
2000 Year of the Artist Residency Castle Point Borough Council, Eastern Arts Board
2006 Artists Residency Onebestway Design & Marketing/Arts Council
North East
Address: 8 Castle Close, Prudhoe, NE42 6NF, GB
Local Authority: Northumberland
