‘Songs from a midnight garden’

is an ongoing project based on the garden where I live. Within this garden is a plastic poly-tunnel, a wild, semi cultivated general garden and a vegetable patch where I grow food for my family and friends.

The garden is ever changing, corresponding to the time of year and the weather conditions, which rule it. The plants within are both planted with purpose and naturally deposited weeds. Each of the plants within hold a place of their own and offer a shape, colour and development bound by their botanical origins.

I have used digital photography to directly document and record the changes in the poly tunnel. Focusing on certain details, which contain both man-made structures and naturally occurring meteorological conditions, the images now form new representations.

The works on old, out of date photographic paper are a result of both planning and of unpredicted outcomes. Much like the garden itself, the old photographic paper is the partner in these works. The changes come about though the papers original, man-made properties and the chemical reactions altered by the papers age. Again, much like the garden itself, the pieces, although steered by my direct intention and plant choice, take on a life of their own and result in the collaborative works.

‘Songs from a midnight garden’ is a comment on a gardening experience informed by knowledge passed down from other gardeners, a life long learning gained through practical knowledge and the influence of nature’s own intervention.

Selected pieces were shown at the Spanjaardshof Gallery, The Hague, The Netherlands, October 2015. This two person show (Caroline Gresnigt) was part of the Open Ateliers.