Exploring the emotional and ecological connections between people and place will be the focus of the latest New Forest Artists in Residence.
The New Forest National Park Authority in partnership with Sway-based arts and educational charity SPUD will welcome British artist duo Boredomresearch – Vicky Isley and Paul Smith, working throughout October. At the same time artist Isabella Martin who took up residency in May will be returning with her exhibition at SPUD titled ‘Time in Common’.
Now in its fourth year, the New Forest Artist In Residence Programme, funded by Arts Council England, develops a creative partnership between the arts and the people who work, live, and visit the New Forest. The residencies explore the way we think about landscapes, how different people interact with them, and the challenges that they face both present and future.
Boredomresearch’s work combines science and imagination. They use digital 3D game, animation and film tools to create poetic and cinematic expressions. During their residency their focus will be on the impact of tree loss, gathering local stories through conversations and encounters with residents, rangers, and conservationists. The artists will use these to create digital artworks that reflect on the fragile balance between nature, culture, and memory. The residency will build on their recent award-winning film ‘Gentle as Moss on Stone’, which tells the story of a ‘bryologist’ – a specialist in mosses, inventing new moss species for his granddaughter, shaped by children’s hopes and fears for the future.
Jim Mitchell, Access and Learning Manager at the New Forest National Park Authority said:
‘We’re excited to welcome Boredomresearch as our latest Artists in Residence. Their innovative use of digital storytelling offers a fresh and engaging way to explore complex themes like conservation and ecology. By combining scientific insight with creativity their work will bring these issues to life and inspire deeper connections between people and the Forest.’
Visual artist Isabella Martin will be returning to SPUD to exhibit her work ‘Time in Common’. An exhibition dissecting forest rhythms to ask the questions, what time is it in the forest? How do we tell forest time? Showing a series of artworks using different mediums, from print and sculpture to film and sound, the exhibition will playfully propose ways to connect our time to that of the Forest, imagining what New Forest clocks could look like and how they would keep time.
Isabella will be exhibiting her work from 1 October – 1 November, including an opening event on 2 October 5.30pm – 7.30pm at SpudWorks, Station Road, Sway SO41 6BA. Free entry.
Boredomresearch will be in residency at SpudWorks throughout October.