Byway 745 Observatory

An ongoing research project in a 10 metre section of Byway 745 to establish a kind of “observatory” examining the whole space from the trees at the top of the banks down into the chalk trench of the track and up again. A cross section of the geological, biological and human history of this "critical zone" – of air, soil and rock. Data from maps and GPS apps have been recorded to pinpoint the space and more research into its history will follow but the real starting point is on-site drawing. This was an exercise in regularly stopping to look and absorb, rather than to pass through, monitoring incremental and mundane changes as a natural scientist or an anthropologist might. Outcomes include - sculptures made from salvaged materials and found objects, contained in stacks of gabion baskets; two large scale drawings; photographs as a slide show; video, audio and placed objects. The landscape is explored in an installation through those objects and materials, as well as through the media of sound, video and living elements. Found objects appear multiple times - in video, incorporated in the sculpture, drawn, photographed and placed in the space. Echoes and connections are created between the pieces to build a narrative, the repetitions and juxtapositions emphasising the passing of time on very different scales, as well as the striking ironies of human interventions. See https://lizcliffordart.wordpress.com/