An experimental Phytogram film created using the flora and fauna of ‘The Sunken Garden’ in Westbrook, near Margate. The Sunken Garden was originally created in the 1930’s as a pleasure garden and continues to host a diverse collection of plants, flowers and trees and is a haven for insects, birds and wildlife.
Using the Phytogram process; a camera-less technique, the flora and fauna are first soaked in a simple ascorbic developer after which they are placed directly onto photo sensitive emulsion and exposed under glass in the sun. A bio chemical reaction occurs between the phenol activated plants and the photo emulsion and a bio chemical trace is left on the black and white negative film. After fixing, washing and drying, the scanned film chart’s a botanical journey clockwise around The Sunken Garden and invites the viewer to see familiar nature from a different perspective, presenting a micro landscape that would otherwise be impossible to observe without the use of highly technically advanced camera and lens equipment.
The accompanying soundtrack was created by sound artist Jemma Cullen who recorded the electrical impulses emanating deep within the structure of a selection of the same plants used in the creation of the film, using a Playtronica(TM) devise streamed through a midi controller.
Commissioned by Margate Now 2021 festival.
https://margatenow.co.uk/kim-conway/
Kim Conway 