diary / may

Storyboard for 'the fight'

31/05/2005

Rough storyboard for 'the fight', in which the birch and the cottongrass fight for water. People come in and spray the birch with poison to allow the cottongrass to get some of the water, preserving the cottongrass yet destroying the birch trees.

The narrative comes from conflicting views I have found over the choices that have to be made over scrub management.

Websites and Postcards

29/05/2005

As well as using the website as a space to allow people to post comments, I will also send out returnable postcards to gather more research on people's views.

Conflicting Views

28/05/2005

I have been spending a lot of time with various people gathering ideas and comments about the moors, their past and their future.

I intend to continue this research whilst I begin constructing short video narratives.

Spraying

18/05/2005

The birch and willow drink water (loads), drying up the peat bog and preventing other plants from growing.

Which way to go?

15/05/2005

There are so many directions I could take within the themes of preservation and destruction.

I think that I need to develop narratives around aspects that are significant to people locally.

Moors information wanted (Thorne and District Gazette)

15/05/2005

AN artist, working on a project on the moors, is seeking the help of the local populace.

Suraya Raja is working with English Nature at Humberhead Peatlands National Nature Reserve. During the three-month project she will be working with mixed media and video to explore Thorne and Hatfield Moors.

She is interested in talking to people who have visited or worked on the moors. You may have memories you would like to share or thoughts on what you would like for its future. She is also interested in any other information, such as old photographs or found objects which would be returned.

Suraya will be arranging to meet with people at Thorne and Moorends Council Offices. If you are intersted in helping, please contact Suraya on 07779 093733 or e mail: info@suraya.co.uk

Is this preservation too?

14/05/2005

An area on Hatfield moor that has apparently been left untouched during the restoration that is taking place.

Response

13/05/2005

I have had several responses to the request in the newspaper already and am arranging to meet with several people. I have also had interest from individuals that I have phoned this week.

The marbled white

10/05/2005

"It was while carrying out the English Nature butterfly survey as a volunteer that he stumbled across a butterfly last seen in 1870 and thought to be extinct in the area"

Could use this as a narrative. Use animated drawing, puppets / models. Could show it from the man's point of view.

Research

09/05/2005

I have been working with English Nature staff and their resources, using books,magazines, environmental studies, records of wildlife, library archives and maps to research Thorne and Hatfield moors.

Exploring

06/05/2005

I went to a meeting today on Hatfield moor.

Things I noticed:
Sound of birds really loud
vast flat expanses and nobody else around
Various types of habitat, very different visually - baron areas contrasting with green overgrown areas
Still lakes
So many weird looking insects and dragonfly things
Bog oak, apparently carbon dated to 3,000 years old

Proposal

04/05/2005

I would like to use the residency to explore and document the landscape of the National Nature Reserve with the intention of producing video pieces for exhibition. I will develop narratives around the theme of preservation and destruction, focussing on the significance of the peat bog to the wildlife and to people.

I expect to produce a visual diary of visual research and text documenting the residency