IN-Situ is a permanent work in the Forest of Dean. Made through responding to the forest during a residency, In-Situ explores the possibilities of intervening in or ‘augmenting’ and ‘enhancing’ nature, history, the social fabric of localized mythologies, and received narratives. The landscape of the Dean is littered with references to the past activities (ritualised behavior) of the individuals and peoples living in and passing through the area from slag heaps, to roman open cast mines, ammunitions hide-outs, deep under ground mines, drainage systems, forest paths, boundary markers, timber plantations, roads, canals, dumped burnt out cars, ponds and lakes made and maintained from various reasons. Phase one has been to add, reflect, respond, adapt, appropriate, change and remove through the performative gestures of digging, dumping, scraping and compressing. Further 'diversifying the arena' through a planting scheme and developing 'continuous histories' through additions of instructions for ritualised performative acts, artifacts, clues and red herrings take place.
The work consists of a series of land works, implanted cast iron bamboo artifacts, ‘aggressive’ bamboo planting scheme and a series of cast iron ‘instructions’ for audiences. Commissioned by The Forest of Dean Sculpture Trust and the Forestry Commission.
