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Laura Donkers

Clachan, Isle of North Uist
I am an ecological artist living in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland where I create site-specific works in response to pressing ecological challenges of our time.
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My practice encompasses a multi-faceted approach, exploring the physical and spatial thresholds of places by way of their diverse geographies, histories and communities. Interpreting art as a verb, I foster its dynamic, participatory nature to generate collective processes of deeper reflection and active engagement. I use field research methodologies to collect and present primary observations that manifest as drawings, prints, film poems, and public interventions. This approach captures nuanced dialogues in the space between quiet contemplation and haptic exploration. Through this interaction, the intricate layers of meaning associated with our environments encourages profound reflection on the significance of place in shaping human experience.

My current work investigates energy fields linked to the essential materials that are critical to the modern energy landscape. Electrochemical metals such as lithium and copper, both vital to contemporary energy transition are mined in the Atacama Desert, Chile, where I recently spent seven weeks as a resident artist. Spending time at high altitude, in a vibrating but deeply silent place has had a profound impact on me. Energy Fields is a series of new drawings that seek to convey this transformative experience. Made through the haptic drawing process of frottage they record the topography of the desert surface using a high key colour palette to evoke the sense of energy and vibrancy. The application of cyanotype chemicals captures the instantaneous power of sunlight into the drawings’ surfaces to transmit the power of solar irradiance that has so profoundly shaped the desert’s topography. 

Lived Experience

I have been settled in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland since 1988, as a horticulturalist, artist and researcher, completing a Practice-led PhD in Contemporary Art Practices at the University of Dundee in 2020. This work explored collaborative artistic co-creative methods to strategically promote eco-social regeneration for small island communities, and included research visits to Aotearoa New Zealand, to gain underpinning knowledge of indigenous embodied knowledges. I became a temporary resident there (2020-2024) to develop several creative projects but have now returned to the Isle of North Uist to continue developing ecological work that connects the public with environmental and climate change matters.

 

Energy Fields (Atacama Desert)

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