First proposed by John Duns Scotus (1266–1308), a haecceity is a non-qualitative property responsible for individuation and identity. That property or quality of a thing by virtue of which it is unique or describable as ‘this (one)’.
‘Haecceity’ will be a new site-specific gallery installation, produced during a two-week residency at Warrington Museum and Art Gallery in March 2018. The residency offers an opportunity to revisit unique wetland sites in and around Warrington collecting new visual data and to then work within the historic 150 year old Museum. The installation will draw connections between Culture Warrington’s permanent collections which bring together local objects and imagery from natural science, antiquities, social history, ethnology and photography. I am particularly interested in exploring the idea that fine art can act as a platform of multiple dimensions, providing a link for cross-disciplinary research and enquiry and new ways of seeing the world.
Environmental impact and awareness of post-industrial wetlands over the last few years has led to increased interest in re-engaging with and the protection of these unique locations. Contrary to popular belief Mossland’s offer geological and archaeological heritage dating back thousands of years whilst at the same time offering solutions to many future ecological and environmental issues relevant to the communities of Warrington.
My use of commercial digital mapping instruments to inform my imagery connects with our modern obsession for ordering and controlling our experiences of landscapes through abstracted observation. Travelling on foot through such dynamic landscapes requires an acute understanding of touch and connection to our own bodies; it is my hope that the work will offer a dialogue between the past and our future understanding, challenging cultural associations of ‘the wasteland’ as somewhere to be conquered and controlled in order to mark progress.
By exploring the capabilities of our developing digital technologies my observations as both artist and walker offer a re-imagined vision, one, which goes beyond our own human visual capability. Through my practice as an artist I aim to illustrate and reveal the connections and complexities of our human relationship to place. A re-imagined vision; one that resonates with non-verbal human experiences, subtle, rhythmic and immersive. Providing an immediate link between the senses, thinking and showing, where our physical and digital worlds overlap.
I would like to thank Culture Warrington for their support in offering me this residency and look forward to working with the team at Warrington Museums in 2018. #Haecceity
