This work was developed in collaboration with Bronislaw Szerszynski of the Department of Sociology and the ESRC Centre for the Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (CESAGen), Lancaster University.

Synthia II (code / soil / life) consists of a soil constructed by shredding Craig Venter’s synthetic life form ‘Synthia’ and blending it with vegetable matter grown in the ‘root zone’ land outside of our house. The soil was constructed over an 18 day period that deployed a closeness of observation and experimentation in order to convert 634 pages of code and text into a material that could sustain life. The constructed soil, hopefully, will enable the growth of a Moringa Oleifera (miracle tree). These trees are amongst the most versatile trees in the world.

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I have been collecting and pressing many leaves and flowers from the Root Zone site. These pressings will then be placed into all the books in the local history section of the local library in Sherwood. Sherwood library has a comprehensive section on local history. I will be placing one or two of the pressing into each book. I have on a few occasions been reading a book and come across a pressed flower or leaf and know that it is a strange and oddly personal encounter.

From early July people taking out local history books will come across these delicate, resonant markers. I am curious if the pressed leaves will be removed or left in place.

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Root Zone continues my work on the relationship between the natural environment and me; a relationship of meaning and materiality that constructs, cultivates and reviews a poetics of responsibility. It is a relationship that advocates an intelligent ecology based on values that are immanent in the complex workings of nature. Between ethics, ecology and aesthetics I hope for my work to find a new ground in a generative programme of intensive care to influence our responsibilities as gardeners of the public domain.

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Natural history is a series of small sculptures that were formed during the Peterborough Soil installation (January – February 2010). Each of nine small spheres was taken out of the compost tumbler over a period of eight weeks, one per week. The series nine spheres reflect the transition from paper text to soil. These are the first of a number of sculptural works that form from moulding the soils I construct.

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For many years now I have been making works that investigate material transformations that evolve through processes that weave in and out of transactions with places, people and, more recently, with other living entities. The Lemon Tree continues this thread of expression and research.

The Lemon Tree is both a singular and distinct work and the final phase of the Noah laboratory project.

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