Lichen Hunting in Lillomarka

Solo exhibition at Waino Aaltonen Museum, Finland (2019)

Newly created five channel video installation with audio narration. Commissioned and curated by Gina Buenfeld/ Jonni Saloluma for the WAMX programme

Lichen Hunting in the Lillomarka is a multi- channel video installation that weaves together stories and experiences of the landscapes and ground surfaces we live within.

The video installation narrates personal and landscape histories, traced via lichens found growing in the Lillomarka forest in Oslo, in Lancashire, UK and the West Coast of Scotland. The installation explores how we become more intimate with our surroundings, and ultimately ourselves, through long-term actions to protect and conserve. In focus are two groups of women, one retrieving and performing traditional Scottish folk songs sung during the waulking of tweed; the other involved in a protest against shale gas extraction in a field outside Blackpool.

The installation consists of an audio narration and a five-channel video projection onto lichen paper screens, fabrics and wooden surfaces. The audience is invited to walk amongst the screens, following the narrative around the installation space.

The exhibition was accompanied by a publication including the full script. Click to download: English / Finnish / Swedish

Installation Photos: Ville Kaakinen / Rebecca Birch

Warm thanks and admiration to Miranda Cox, Bobby Black, Janette Allison, Carole Wilson, Tina Rothery, Julie Daniels, Kitty Bouman and all others at Preston New Road

Supported by: Arts Council England (R&D award 2017), Lancaster Arts and Film London Artists' Moving Image (FLAMIN New Approaches 2016-17)