'Higher Ground/Underground' (2005)

SD Digital video displayed on 22" monitor (upturned on floor) 10’45

As part of the ‘Making our Mark’ series, the ‘Full Circle’ and ‘Higher Ground/Underground’ digital videos consider the notion of attachments linked to certain locations or walks, built up over time and embedded in our personal histories. These two contrasting constructed environments; a medieval castle moat and a city park and its surrounding streetscape, shaped by human presence could be seen as a reaction against the romantic idyll depicted by Wordsworth and Coleridge. However, some kind of emotional escapism does seem possible amid the artificiality of these unnatural spaces.

Tracing a familiar urban walk through Greenwich Park, London, ‘Higher Ground/Underground’ follows the changing ‘ground-scape’ from the manicured parkland to the bustling pavements, until the artist reaches the station and descends underground; running for her connecting train. During the walk, the sound levels alter between the relative peacefulness of the park, compared to the chaotic street environment outside, which she passes through like a flâneur; absorbing fragments of passing conversations and confronted by the onslaught of city traffic. The embodied filmmaking method, shot whilst walking, directs our attention continuously downwards, rather than capturing the surrounding picturesque scenery. The intensely framed close-up shots of the walker’s feet is emphasized by the gallery installation of the video on a monitor, positioned on the floor, but tilted forward to simulate the filming experience.