The highly complex and varied landscape of the Rocky Mountains is staggering as one tries to comprehend its ancient geology and the biodiversity which has taken hold upon it, where layers of history are stacked, each upon the previous, to nourish the abundance of local plant and animal species. Two months in Breckenridge, Colorado have been used to survey, map and document the variety of local flora in order to deconstruct and reformat the landscape surrounding the small mountain town, representing it as consumable objects so that locals and tourists alike can observe the surrounding environment by integrating its chemistry into their own. The project presents an in depth exploration of the Breckenridge area through a survey of its biology.
Primrose Promises: Breckenridge sees the collection of 20 samples taken from different biomes and altitudes located equilaterally from around, as well as in, the town - with each collection area being of equal size. Samples areas have also been located on a public GoogleMap and a hand-drawn topographical map so that the gestalt of the work’s reach can be understood. The flora collected has been transformed into bars of soap and alcoholic tinctures in order to create consumable, ephemeral, experiential, non-traditional art objects which communicate non-visual experiences. Samples have also been drawn, using their own pigments, to create chemically accurate representations of the collection as well as being a visual recipe for the other components of the project.
Elements sampled from the environment present a map of Breckenridge’s physical geography, its biodiversity, as well as its history as it can be told through its biological and chemical record. The culmination of this process allows one to perceive the essence of the locality through one’s secondary senses. Perception of place becomes more than just the way it looks to an individual but becomes something that is able to permeate their body. By drinking, smelling and touching the chemical essence of Breckenridge’s landscape, individuals allow themselves to be physically changed by that landscape. As such, Primrose Promises: Breckenridge presents a deconstructed awareness of the local landscape which engages in conservation, environment and art in unconventional ways so that viewers can gain a new sensory awareness of the local geography as well as their place in it.
Primrose Promises: Breckenridge sees the collection of 20 samples taken from different biomes and altitudes located equilaterally from around, as well as in, the town - with each collection area being of equal size. Samples areas have also been located on a public GoogleMap and a hand-drawn topographical map so that the gestalt of the work’s reach can be understood. The flora collected has been transformed into bars of soap and alcoholic tinctures in order to create consumable, ephemeral, experiential, non-traditional art objects which communicate non-visual experiences. Samples have also been drawn, using their own pigments, to create chemically accurate representations of the collection as well as being a visual recipe for the other components of the project.
Elements sampled from the environment present a map of Breckenridge’s physical geography, its biodiversity, as well as its history as it can be told through its biological and chemical record. The culmination of this process allows one to perceive the essence of the locality through one’s secondary senses. Perception of place becomes more than just the way it looks to an individual but becomes something that is able to permeate their body. By drinking, smelling and touching the chemical essence of Breckenridge’s landscape, individuals allow themselves to be physically changed by that landscape. As such, Primrose Promises: Breckenridge presents a deconstructed awareness of the local landscape which engages in conservation, environment and art in unconventional ways so that viewers can gain a new sensory awareness of the local geography as well as their place in it.
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The project consists of:
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'Primrose Promises: Breck' installation documentation. 2019
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Click on the thumbnails below to see an enlarged image of each drawing.
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Click on the photos of each collection site below to see where the sample was taken.
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*Hover your cursor over any of the images above to see the corresponding site code along with latitude & longitude coordinates.
Audio recordings of each site can be found as links on each marker in the GoogleMap or at the following YouTube Playlist.
Primrose Promises: Breckenridge has been generously supported by Breckenridge Creative Arts (BCA) during their 2019 Artist in Residence programme in Breckenridge, Colorado.
