Mapping out : ‘Non Site’

In order to represent the materiality of the Walton backwaters samples of the earth are collected. The changing state of the earth from mudflat to cultivated arable farmland characterises the landscape.

Collecting a sample of the landscape is similar to Robert Smithson’s ‘Non Site’, the samples are then placed in a preserving Jar. The displaced material is then identified with a coordinate from the location it was collected. The coordinate creates a reference to the conventional cartographic maps. The juxtaposition of the coordinate against the organic matter within the jar highlights the conflict between the organic processes of nature and the geometry of man.

The airtight jars create a physical barrier between the viewer and the landscape; this separation symbolises man’s disengagement with the landscape.