Nature Energy Technology

Crawford’s practice comprises an engaging multi-disciplinary body of work that explores the space between art and science, by exposing the contrast between the organic and the constructed - something she refers to as ‘the ambiguous and unknown’Gold Circle

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Wouldn’t it be fabulous to create an image of time and the energy that dissipates from it. An interesting example, I often think of, is the Snowball Earth Ice Ages that have occurred when the planet has frozen, completely trapped in an icy state for over 10s to 100’s of millions of years. How energy is required to drive this force, but also becomes trapped in its frozen state is an interesting balance between the two. Energy and time create interesting parallels as we incur changes both from the Holocene to the Anthropocene but also changes in technological energy that are required to create the artworks.

Geometric shapes and patterns are something that really appeals to me, to use as part of my artwork. Geometrical shape is reflected in so many aspects of our natural environment just as we might see fractals when we are exploring shape in biology. Geometric thinking plays a part in understanding so many aspects of science, for example, it supports our understanding of organic chemistry along with topographical thinking. For me the geometry brings a simplicity to the imagery, something for it to hang onto, something that helps the imagery flow but also something that admires and despises technological change.

The Nature Energy Technology series uses similar methods to the Lombardy Series, but this time I use silver and gold foil as a starting point to create sculptural pieces. These are then scanned, digitally enhanced to clearly reveal the topography and act as a background for the final artwork. Strips or circles are cut from the printed pieces (or before scanning) and moved around sometimes manually and sometimes digitally in the artwork. This movement or displacement of the original landscape responds to the severity of interaction of technology with our natural environment. The cut pieces are moveable, disposable, and therefore reflect the fragility of our environment but also a way for the displacement to be reversed. Natural elements, such as water or dissolved soil are added in at different stages, either photographed and added in digitally or added to the scanner before photographing. (Inception 0)

The project is ongoing as I explore space, time and natural elements alongside the shift into the Anthropocene. The project could be interlaced with several other projects, Space, Light & Order and In The Beginning, for example.

I am presently looking to connect my projects i.e The Biological, The Geological and Evolution. Find a simple road map. The Nature Energy Technology Series is a way to experiment with natural elements and cameraless techniques and explore our topography. I hope to find an interesting way to curate the project, suspended shapes in space maybe supported by a mapped/connected series of images, revealing climate change, its movement through time.

Inception I, Quasi Quadro Land Air 4.0 Award and Solo Exhibition, Turin, 2021-22