REFLECTION: Abstract

The work proposed for the MA Fine Art Farnham Interim Show Beyond the Boundaries is based around the ritual of activity and the encounter that this exposes. Creating the parameters from which material is gathered, the focus is on the domestic role of gardening. Digging and turning the soil exposes an abundance of discarded and forgotten objects, more often broken. In a manner of excavation the material accumulates and a collection is built from which to work from.

The objects speak of the history of one location. They spell out human activity and habitation and allow the finder to wonder what that might have been. It also highlights the amount of things left behind and raises questions about the object or objects. What was their usefulness and why are they no longer of use? What is their story and why were they left behind and when? It is the information that an anthropologist works with to find the answers to past civilisations, a window into a past time.

The limited boundaries from where and how the material is unearthed allows space for an encounter to be made with little or no intention. The challenge is how to uncover and expose the material beyond the territory of an archeological dig and into the dimension of an artwork.

Beyond the Boundaries is to be showcased through instagram at @undertowprojects and @mafineartucafarnham from 2-21 March 2021.

First published on the 30 December 2020