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Doris Rohr

Lancaster
Doris Rohr uses drawing and writing to explore themes of ecology and loss. She extensively uses sketchbooks, often working outside. Close up images of natural objects follow the teaching of John Ruskin (The Elements of Drawing).
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I continue to I develop notebooks building on my practice-based PHD research  "Drawing on nature- the legacy of John Ruskin's moral cosmos" (October 2016 with Lancaster University LICA). I am also developing observational drawing skills from objects displayed in museums, with a particular interest in natural history. This connects with previous explorations in representation of nature, and the loss of species and biological diversity.

Following John Ruskin’s proposed method of closely observing detail from nature, my working practice aims to develop critical drawing as eco-aesthetic category, drawing that may contribute to raising awareness of ecological responsibility.  I am also motivated by Joseph Beuys' drawings, his 'imprints' which evolved into social sculpture, environmental activism and performances. I am seeking for further continuities and possibilities to make drawing embody environmental awareness, relying on the wider definition of drawing as gesture, action and  aesthetic category. Within this observational and multi-sensory formats of drawing provide a firm anchor, connecting past with present, perception with imagination.

Another interest of mine is the poetic integration of writing with drawing in the form of journals and notebooks, and through writing creative and academic texts. I am a member of the Drawing Journal - an Ulster based arts cooperative which engages in the relationship of drawing word and image: 

https://thedrawingjournalnet.wordpress.com/

https://www.instagram.com/thedrawingjournal_/

Writing as critical practice is another strand of my work. I have published essays on drawing, ecology, art and science. See below.

 

 

Lived Experience

Born in Hameln, Lower Saxony, Germany, I moved to the UK to study at WSCAD (West Surrey College of Art and Design). After graduating I moved around England for a while, settling for a few years in Birmingham and the West Midlands. My first permanent teaching job was with Norwich School of Art and Design, and lasted sevent years before I got itchy feet again. After a two year stint at Cumbria Institute of Art and Design Carlisle teaching drawing, I relocated to Northern Ireland where I stayed with Belfast School of Art until 2018. Since then I continue to be working as an Associate Lecturer in Fine Art and Art History. I live in North Yorkshire in a small rural town called Bentham.

 

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Track 1

remotely

North Yorks

Willow

Dead Leaves Gathered in Silence

Treechurch

Fragment

Phoenix

St Melangell

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