Fulbright scholar Adrien Segal and the University of Dundee Botanic Garden would like to invite you to an open studio and land art exhibition today - Thursday 21st July - from 4pm until 7pm at the Botanic Garden. Light refreshments and drinks will be provided along with a talk and exhibition walk led by the artist and the garden curator.
Cyclogenisis is a new site-specific earthwork in progress at the Dundee Botanical Garden, located in an area where a grouping of eucalyptus trees were felled by two extratropical storms, Arwen and Barra felled forty-five trees, at the garden in an extraordinary weather event associated with a changing climate, during the winter of 2021-22.
Responding to the climatic events that caused strong wind forces that felled the trees, the artist interpreted a diagram of the pattern of cyclogenisis showing four stages of development of a strengthening cyclone into a physical earthwork that pays homage to the recent weather events that caused a dramatic change to this landscape. Manifested from materials at hand, including the felled eucalyptus trees, the artwork provides a space for visitors to experience cyclonic patterns and movements by walking through and around the earthwork.
The artwork was created in partnership with DJCAD Fulbright Scholar and Visiting Artist Adrien Segal and the University of Dundee Botanical Garden, with support from scientists from CEDA (Centre for Environmental Data Analysis).
In addition to the earthwork in progress, Adrien will have a related installation of smaller scale sculptural experimentations in clay, cast bronze, and carved wood, made during her Fulbright fellowship at DJCAD. These will be on view in the Living Lab during the opening.
This may be one of the most creative outcomes from Storm Arwen, as Adrien Segal has worked with our garden technician Trevor Whyte to create land art in the wake of the storm that wrought damage to University of Dundee Botanic Gardens living collections.
A visual reminder that becoming resilient is not to wipe away the evidence of climate change but to develop the capacity to recover quickly from the difficulties & adapt to the emerging state.