06 Nov
Reflection: An update on progress
At one point, I felt as though I had nearly transformed myself into a pile of soil. I was so immersed in my research that I almost forgot about the landscape above me. Perhaps I'm being slightly dramatic here, but preparing for PM2 has consumed so much of my focus that I've lost track of my blog. I’ll admit, I drafted seven entries, yet unfortunately didn’t get around to writing them. So, this entry is an update on what I’ve been up to, how I’ve prepared myself for PM2, and what’s coming next on this blog.
This phase has been the most challenging part of my PhD journey so far. My goal was to avoid the uncertainties I faced during PM1 and enter PM2 with confidence, fully prepared to demonstrate my understanding of my thesis question. I aimed to simplify my approach, translating my practical research into a clear, concise series of chapters that flow through key areas of my study, including artists, materials, and concepts.
In discussions with my supervisors, we agreed that I would focus on soil as my primary area of interest. I was tasked with writing a foundational text on soil from a scientific perspective, outside of an artistic context. This document would deepen my understanding of soil, allowing me to later contextualise it within my artistic research. I then planned a series of chapters, one of which would focus specifically on soil as an artistic medium, exploring it through these subtopics:
Soil within the landscape
Walking on soil
Soil as an overlooked material
What is soil?
The micro/macro landscape
Bacteria, exoelectrogens, and microbial fuel cells/microactive transfer
Exploring soil as an artistic medium
Artists who are concerned with soil
These subchapters allow me to present a clear research journey into soil, building a structured, well-articulated document at an academic level. I also intend to use this chapter to support my PM2 VIVA in December.
In terms of practical work, I’ve been exploring familiar landscapes like Auchope Rigg, Over Silton, and Danby. I revisited these locations because of their proximity, allowing for multiple visits, which I find essential to my practice. This repeated engagement gives me the opportunity to re-experience and observe the landscapes from a fresh perspective. During these visits, I’ve spent time walking, reflecting, writing, and filming.
At Over Silton, I created a film featuring narrated extracts from Sara Maitland’s A Book of Silence, which was showcased in the “One Last Shot” exhibition at Pineapple Black Gallery in Middlesbrough. In Danby, I buried a series of colour negative 35mm frames in the soil, where they remain. I plan to retrieve them this weekend and will process and develop them when I return to work.
My residency at Auchope Rigg focused on collecting soil samples, which I later transformed into soil chromatographs. These chromatographs serve as visual representations of the energy I aim to detect and document through my live sculptures, illustrated by a portable earth battery. Following this, I installed an earth battery as a live sculpture at the Northern School of Art, an attempt to present soil and its energies as an active, participatory installation.
I also experimented with soil as a reactive material by placing it on photographic paper for several days, allowing the interaction between soil microorganisms and the chemicals within the paper to create an image. This process revealed traces of microbial movement across the surface, capturing a micro-landscape in action. In another experiment, I coated sheets of white cotton in silver nitrate solution, making them light-sensitive, and buried them partially in soil for several days before exposing them to natural light. This allowed microorganisms to develop on the cotton, revealing their patterns and activity.
Additionally, I experimented with sustainable, alternative photographic methods, such as cyanotypes mixed with soil solutions left over from my chromatography experiments. I attempted to use these cyanotypes to document my walking routes by exposing maps onto light-sensitive soil paper. These experiments proved challenging and required multiple attempts. I had limited success with image transfer and exposure; unfortunately, the imagery hasn’t yet fully developed to a level that clearly visualises my intended results. This is a work in progress that I plan to revisit.
So, what’s next? Well, I’m now just under a month away from my PM2 VIVA presentation. I’m genuinely looking forward to it and actually feeling confident about it—which I think Anneke will be pleased to hear, given my recent emotional ups and downs. My goal is to approach this presentation with a clear, concise portfolio that illustrates the research journey I’ve been on over the past couple of years. I’ll focus on the core concepts of walking and soil, aiming to present enough relevant information to address any questions from the assessing supervisors.
After the VIVA, I plan to dive back into writing the chapters of my thesis. I’ve outlined five chapters in total; Chapter 3 on soil is complete, and Chapters 1 and 2 are already underway. Mapping out a structured plan for writing again is boosting my confidence as I work toward the final stages of the PhD.
On a very exciting note, a new opportunity has come up—a series of exhibitions I’m planning with a colleague that will explore themes of walking and the local landscape. I’ll hold off on sharing more details for now, as we’re still in the early stages. But the exhibitions will culminate in a symposium, with plans to publish our outcomes, which is incredibly exciting.
In the meantime, blog posts are on their way. I’ll be posting a backlog of entries from my PM2 research, including extracts from written chapters.
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