Artist statement:
Botanical inquiry is a series of photographic dioramas featuring unremarkable plants that I have collected and staged against the backdrop of urban environments, in order to explore the relationship between humans and plants. The approach I have taken is designed to evoke a feeling of the plants' vulnerability as they adapt and survive amidst human progress.
By manipulating the optical and staging properties of photography with a ‘machine’ that I have constructed, I have been able to produce these studio based images in-camera rather than using digital compositing. They rely on the singular perspective of the camera and our willingness to accept the veracity of photography, rendering the mechanics of the images invisible.
Colour Factory Honourable Mention recipient
Also known as Giclee prints or bubble-jet prints, pigment ink-jet prints are generated by computer printers from digital or scanned files using dye-based or pigment-based inks. A series of nozzles spray tiny droplets of ink onto the paper surface in a precise pattern that corresponds to the digital image file. In dye-based prints the ink soaks into the paper, whereas in pigment-based prints the ink rests and dries on top of the paper surface.
Whilst the term is broad, pigment ink-jet prints have come to be associated with prints produced on fine art papers. They are the most versatile and archival method of printing available to photographers today. A wide variety of material on which an image can be printed with such inks are available, including various textures and finishes such as matte photo paper, watercolour paper, cotton canvas or pre-coated canvas.
