Shadowing: an exhibition by LAHRI Postdoc Melanie Rose
Melanie Rose, our LAHRI postdoctoral research fellow and The New Forest National Park Authority Artist in residence unveils her new exhibition entitled Shadowing, opening on 4th October and running until 30th October 2023. Here's Melanie's description of her work:
SHADOWING
The title of the exhibition references the dappled light found in and among the trees in the New Forest, combined with the occasional sense of being surveyed by something dark and unknown.
The drawings and paintings respond to contemporary discussions and movements related to our connection with nature, as well as the politics associated with landscape. This exhibition is about place, taking into account the sensitivity of materials by using locally sourced timber as well as charcoal from Pondhead Inclosure and Oak Gall ink for a drawing of the Knightwood Oak. By researching the history and traditions of the New Forest this exhibition aims to open a dialogue about what is happening today, in this beautiful National Park.
From plein air painting research undertaken in May the work combines traditional ‘picturesque’ views, (a term coined by William Gilpin who lived in Boldre in the New Forest) with deliberate abstractions of reflected trees in valley-mires. Interwoven amongst this are 'apotropaic' and 'aborglyph' patterns found in buildings and on trees in the forest that covey specific meanings, for example warding off evil or signifying trees to be set aside for ship building.
The paintings and drawings are the result of a month-long residency in May 2023 funded by the New Forest National Park Authority.