Natural Soundscapes
Vertical Gallery Open Call
Ameerah Dawood
"There is a reason we feel so at peace around nature, it is because we are a part of it"
Concept
One way that I consistently calm myself, is by listening to sounds that derive from nature, such as rain, birds, ocean waves. Therefore I wanted to create a body of work that responded to these calming sounds in a painterly, abstract way. My work aims to evoke a meditative response within you.
A moment in which you can stop, and fully immerse yourself in the marks and the sounds.
This is something incredibly important to me as I believe that within this urban society, we so easily forget our natural heritage and the solace that we can find within it.
Research
The research process was one that faced many elements, literally. Travelling to different environments such as the Attenborough Nature Reserve, Thornton Reservoir and Fletcher Moss Gardens, meant that often within a single day of filming I experienced wind, rain and sleet but also beautiful warmth and sunshine. My hands became red and numb from holding my tripod and camera but often warmed up again once the sun started shining. It was these kinds of events that I wanted to respond to in my work and therefore creating an Audio Visual Sketchbook was the most suitable way to do that.
See the embedded videos below to view my research series.
The UK going into lockdown became a large hurdle that seemed near impossible to over come. I had to put my initial creative plans of painting large scale and screen printing on hold and navigate this strange period. However, I realised that my chosen concept had never been more relevant than now. The idea that I wanted to produce work that reminded us of our natural heritage and conveyed a meditative emotion was still possible in a different way.
I decided to use my ‘Daily Walk’ to conduct live visual responses to the environments that I was in to inspire a new and unique direction.
Working small scale I have produced a variety of abstract interpretations based on my initial research and my daily walks. This period has allowed me to develop my print making and allowed me to discover new angles of how to convey my message that I wouldn’t have been able to.
I have been able to experiment with collage and using mixed media and also with using natural tools collected from my initial research trips and daily walks. I had found a way to use these natural tools such as branches, bark, petals and stems in a more details and small scale way.
Another way I developed my drawing, which lead up to my concept for the Vertical Gallery, was through digital drawing. It was much more fluid and I felt myself being able to respond better to the sounds and environments I had researched. I was able to naturally go through different textures and colours and although small scale, paved the way for much larger work.
These small clips display the correlation between the environment and the digital drawing.
Vertical Gallery Concept Visualisation
The idea behind this composition is to create a visual representation of a natural environment, one that although is made up of many aspects, comes together harmoniously.
The idea is to represent how the different components of an environment work in harmony to create a peaceful atmosphere. The scale commands attention and in doing so gives the opportunity for a viewer to indulge in a meditative moment.
