Fig. ArtEcology background statement

THE PARTNERSHIP

Kerry Morrison, M.A. Fine Art

16 years experience in Public Art. 40 Commissions and Residence within the UK and overseas. Experienced workshop leader and project coordinator. Also freelance Public Art Consultant.

Alicia Prowse, PhD, Environmental Biologist

Working with invasive non-native plant species for the last eight years. Frequently consulted by conservation professionals, across the UK and internationally, for advice on the control and management of these species, in particular, Himalayan Balsam.

Via an art and science collaborative process and community engagement Kerry Morrison and Alicia Prowse investigate issues surrounding ecology, conservation and environmental management.

THE WORK

Artist and scientist collaboration is a means to inform artwork and publicly platform scientific evidence

The collaborative partnership explores attitudes towards invasion ecology, and the acceptance of a changing landscape.

The process is an homogenisation of individual ideas and skills resulting in project development [process] and product that cannot be achieved by either alone, an area where art and science merge and the boundaries become blurred.

The collaborative process we employ has enabled new and innovative ideas that cross boundaries and challenge perceptions. Our practice is activity based and focuses on new research, public interaction and involvement, and dissemination of data into the field of public art, science, and the public arena. The very process, by its nature of involvement, site use, research, and dissemination, enables project sustainability.

Through our collaborative process we aim to

  • Conduct original research in Environmental Art, Public Art, and Environmental Ecology
  • Create innovative work that will challenge perceptions of contemporary practice in each discipline
  • Contribute to current research on collaborative practice between artists and other professionals
  • Support, stimulate, and advance ongoing ecological research
  • Fuel a synergy of ongoing art and science collaborative research
  • Disseminate environmental issue to a diverse audience
  • Deliver on site/field research inclusive of public/community consultation/participation
  • Develop a new means of evidencing scientific data
  • Raise environmental and ecological awareness
  • Re-connect people to the natural landscape
  • Engage the public in activities that have a direct and personal impact upon the future character of the environment

COMMUNITY INCLUSION

Engaging and educational art/science forums and workshops form an integral element of our working practice. They are always:

  • Inclusive; enabling all, regardless of ability, to become actively involved in the design process
  • Educational: introducing participants to art techniques and practice, ecological experiments, botany, and restoration ecology
  • Creative, engaging those involved in new ways of looking, and communicating.

EVALUATION

We monitor and evaluate our projects in terms of artistic merit and potential for credible scientific outcomes, and all logistics surrounding these issues. For example:

  • How projects feed into ongoing research and other collaborative projects
  • Experimental design in relation to analogous studies conducted internationally
  • How public involvement is instigated, maintained and developed
  • The impact and sustainability of “process as product”