Day 6

Installed in Garden F: Monday 13th August 2021. Approx. 12pm

Thursday 26th August 2021. Approx. 12.30pm

Changes noted: Few changes noted. The bottom right of the panel has been moved to allow the plants in the basket to grow. The basket cannot be moved as the bottom of it has disintegrated. A small hole below the monogrammed handkerchief on the middle left has got a little bigger. Some debris from the plants has fallen both on to the top right and along the bottom of the panel. A small snail has made its way onto the top left of the panel.

Around 1pm the light became stronger causing a dramatic sense of light and shade around the panel.

Tuesday 14th September 2021. Approx. 3.30pm

Changes noted: Wow! The biggest change is the felling of the two Cyprus trees that stood behind the panel. These were taken down by the Council as their roots where in danger of causing problems to the houses that surrounded them. So a huge change which can be seen in the large photo, full of shade, on 26th August and here, full of light, on 14th September. Other changes to the panel mirror similar changes in other panels – puckering, cracking in the emulsion paint, mould in the Calico areas and some fraying, though here mostly very minor. The panel here is largely protected from the wind so there is little wear and tear from this element. There are flecks of dirt and sawdust caused primarily by the tree felling, but interestingly the pocket on the panel now has a small snail visitor.

The host and I decided to slide a plate of glass under the basket to enable us to move it and allowing both the cloth panel to sit freely behind and the plants in it to grow.

Thursday 16th September 2021. (Time unknown)

A series of photographs sent by the host who is beginning to move things around in her garden, due to the loss of the big trees. As well as beautiful light and shade on the panels they note that ‘the slugs and snails are coming out of their hiding places as plants are moved. Some snails seem to be finding refuge on the panel. I am looking forward to what changes, both to the textile panel and the garden, have occurred next time I visit.

Tuesday 28th September 2021. Approx. 10.20am

A second series of photographs sent by the host who has captured the natural earth tones and differing textures of fabrics beautifully. What fascinated me was the bulge on the shirt pocket, apparently after I enquired, a dead leaf that had fallen in.

Sunday 3^rd October 2021. Approx. 12.20 – 3.00pm

A series of photographs sent by the host showing the Autumn leaves and changing light throughout the day.

Wednesday 6th October 2021. Approx. 12.40pm

Two photographs sent by the host capturing beautiful Autumnal light and shadows around mid-day.

Thursday 7th October 2021. Approx. 12.20pm

Changes noted: The host has continued re-arranging their garden and added many more plants around the panel, so its very immediate environment has continued to change. The Autumn leaves are very evident at the bottom of the panel. I am uncertain as to whether these have been blown there or swept there by the host. The rain has caused the fabric to pucker more in places and some additional dirty marks have formed. Flecks of sawdust (from the earlier tree felling) and dirt have lodged themselves in some of the seams of the fabrics. The final photograph shows the grey Autumn Day that it was.

Tuesday 12th October 2021. Approx. 12.30pm

Photographs sent by the host with an ever-increasing pile of Autumn leaves beginning to cover the bottom of the panel. Again, I am not sure if the heap is caused by the wind or the intentional sweeping of the host.

Tuesday 19th October 2021. Approx. 12.00pm

Photographs sent by host of ‘wrinkled and sodden’ panel.

Tuesday 19th October 2021. Approx. 3.30pm

Changes noted: The garden and panel when I arrived was indeed rain sodden, as my host’s photos had shown a few hours earlier. More leaves had been collecting and covering the bottom of the panel. My question as to whether these had naturally gathered or had been purposely swept into a pile was answered. It was, my host told me, primarily the wind though any other odd leaves scattered around the garden had been swept and added to the very colourful heap. Mould has continued to form mainly at the bottom of the panel and perhaps more debris was caught up in the top horizontal seams. Other than that, there seemed little change.

Changes noted (cont.): On de-installing the panel a lot more dirt and mould, as well as a few worms, slugs and snails, were discovered at the bottom of the panel where the cloth had been covered by the leaves. Having got rid of these I documented both the front and the back of the panel. This included a hole in the natural-coloured linen fabric presumably made by a slug or snail? I also placed two samples of the mould, from different parts of the fabric, into separate Petri dishes. A friend is going to examine them under microscopes in the hope we may discover more about their origins. I am interested to know if and in what way the plants/environment of the panel have contributed to the mould. I do not know if this initial examination will tell us or not. I will update further if I discover anything. Plants immediately surrounding the panel include: Sugar Maple, Common Columbine, Spreading Pellitory, Wineberry, Taiwanese Photinia, Golden Bamboo, Japanese Rose, Horse Chestnut and Fuchsia.

DAY 6: January – June 2022

Reinstalled in Garden F: Friday 21st January 2022. Approx. 2.45pm

The garden had been much re-arranged since the panel was taken down in October and it was not therefore possible for it to be reinstalled in the same place. This is a small suburban garden in the heart of the city centre which the host has managed to fit in an amazing variety of plants, shrubs and trees and even a pond to create a very varied garden within in a very limited space. The panel’s new position is much closer to the house, almost in its own alcove, it is surrounded by many wonderful plants in pots and even a line of old chimneys.

Saturday 22nd January 2022. Approx. 10.25am

Photos sent by host: These show what a difference a day makes, as these were taken a day after the panel was installed, a complete contrast to the dull winter light of the previous day – though this is Scotland so the sun is likely to disappear again at any moment. The host entitled the photos ‘Humanity in the Sunlight’ and in the sunlight the white of the cloth sings out in contrast to the dark shadows both of branches and bulbs, down the right-hand side, and on one image also includes a shadow of the host – momentarily captured until she moves away and the composition becomes different again. On the pebble-dashed wall there are more shadows, these are long and slender echoing the branches of a bush behind the panel, the two blend together. The bit of washing-line rope left hanging down from the drainpipe annoys me, distracting my eye away from the white of the cloth. I will take it down next time I visit.

Wednesday 9th February 2022. Approx. 9.30am

Photos sent by host: These show the dappled shadows of the surrounding foliage (and the metal chair) cast beautifully on to the panel. The shadows on the cloth highlight and echo the constantly changing composition of the environmental landscape whether the slow decomposition over time and seasons or of the fleeting patterns created by the light and dark of the clouds, sun and moon. Nothing stays the same.

Monday 14th February 2022. Approx. 1.30pm

Photos sent by host just prior to my visit an hour later. At this point in time the sun was out creating wonderful shadows again, but when I arrived, the time and light had changed and these had all disappeared. It is interesting to see what the host chose to capture – the light, shadows – very different patterns to the previous photographs, a small statue of praying angel placed by the panel and her shadowed self again, the latter appropriate as Day 6 brings ‘Humanity’. These photographs are a complete contrast to those I chose to take an hour or so later. Mine are the more detailed slow depictions of change, of decomposition, dirt and mould. The shadow images capture the fleeting change of same subject at different moments in time, albeit on the same day.

Monday 14th February 2022. Approx. 2.30pm

Changes noticed: Things have been re-arranged in front of the panel. As one can see from the photos there is dirt and wear and tear across the panel. It doesn’t have the rain streaks that some of the other panels have but is splattered with more dirt, mould and more holes than any of its companion pieces have. This panel in its small busy urban garden sits closer than any of the other to the heart of the city centre, This may account for the amount of dirt and mould or perhaps it is simply the industry taking place in the garden both nature – plant life and small creatures – and human. The different cloths used on this panel may also be a factor, there is more linen in this panel than any other?

Wednesday 2nd March 2022. Approx. 1.10pm

Photos sent by host.

Tuesday 22nd March 2022. Approx. 3.00pm

Photos sent by host. The delight of the shadows once again and the Japanese Rose also known as Japanese Kerria has started to flower behind the panel. The host has titled the final image (right-hand side) ‘Humanity in the Sun.’

Friday 1st April 2022. Approx. 2.05pm

Photos sent by host. These highlight life and death, the mix of the decaying panel, in some areas, with the continued blossoming of the Japanese Rose, I love that it is poking its way through between the washing line and the cloth determined to become part of the picture.

Friday 8th April 2022. Approx. 10.45am

Photos sent by host. These images seemed to say something about the journey of Holy Week that would begin a few days later.

Friday 8th April 2022. Approx. 1.00pm

Photos sent by host. These images seemed to say something about the journey of Holy Week and Easter that would begin a few days later with the strong shadowed imaged of a tree and yet hints of gold.

Changes noticed. As with my last visit the beautiful shadows of the morning had disappeared and my focus was on the more detailed marks of wear and tear and decay alongside and in contrast to the continually blossoming Japanese Rose now appearing from all sides of the panel and the daffodils coming into bloom in the foreground.

Monday 16th May 2022. Approx. 11.40am

Photos sent by host. Interesting marks on the bottom image – grey bumps, perhpas just as a result of the heavey rain that was pouring down as these images were taken.

Monday 23rd May 2022. Approx. 11.20am

Photos sent by host. Showing strong shadows of surrounding foliage at the bottom of the panel.

Monday 27th May 2022. Approx. 11.50am

Photo sent by host. photo attached with message ‘wind fold.’

Thursday 2nd June 2022. Approx. 9.40am

Photo sent by host. A beautiful video sent by host of the morning shadows. Sadly at present I am unable to post videos on this page – but hope to remedy that in the not too distance future), and more unusually for this host some detail shots showing an intriguing fold/ crease , a hole near the monogram and a wonderful strong shadow of a near plant.

Thursday 2nd June 2022. Approx. 4.00pm

Changes noticed: Plants have, once again been re-arranged in front of the panel. This garden is constantly being worked on and re-arranged, as the majority of its plants are in pots making this easier to do. The panel definitely has more marks on it, the holes in it seem to have got bigger and I was more aware of the fraying edges than previously. Additionally, a small creature had attached itself to the upper left of the panel. Something had been secreted that has stuck part of the cloth together to maybe enable it to hatch out or to have laid eggs itself, though no eggs were found just a small part of a possible chrysalis thus suggesting the former. Should anyone be able to identify the creature do let me know! Aware of the impending exhibition I decided to take the panel down. On doing this I discovered that some of the fraying threads had attached themselves to branches behind the panel.