Today we highlight another presentation from this month’s inaugural edition of PechaKucha Night in Southend-on-Sea — yesterday we featured media artist Damien Robinson — this time with the works of Ackroyd & Harvey (Dan Harvey was the presenter).
Here’s a bio on the duo:
Sculpture, photography, architecture and ecology are some of the disciplines that intersect in the work of Ackroyd and Harvey. Nature and structure, control and randomness are juxtaposed in their work to reveal a time-based practice with intrinsic bias towards process and event.
They are acclaimed for their work with the light sensitivity of seedling grass and its ability to record complex photographic images, and have exhibited in galleries, museums and sites worldwide, articulating the seductions of time and visibility inherent in the transient organic image.
In 2007 they realised FlyTower on the exterior of London’s National Theatre, whereby they grew the entire north and west face of the landmark Lyttelton flytower with seedling grass. In 2003 they grew the entire interior wall space of a deconsecrated and disused concrete church in south London (Dilston Grove).
Twist, a permanent landmark sculpture opened in December 2008. Visible on entry into Bristol from the M32, the 20-metre high tower is clad in an intensive layering of thin dark grey slates – a waste material from the roofing industry – and is lit using power generated from a combination of solar energy and wind power.
Over the last few years they have made a series of expeditions to the High Arctic with Cape Farewell, looking at the effects of global warming on the ecosystem.
PKN Southend-on-Sea Vol. 2 is set to take place April 29.