SABG’s Summer Art Nights: 'Prairie' at Dusk

We could not be more pleased to invite you to an evening of light art at the Botanic Garden. Once again, we are joined by our artists-in-residence, Studio Lemercier, co-directed by curator Juliette Bibasse and artist Joanie Lemercier.

This week, we are delighted to showcase Prairie, which invites audiences into a visual meditation of nature and light art, the organic and the digital. Oftentimes, those terms are thought to be dichotomies as they are framed as separate, or even oppositional realms. By illuminating live plants, the installation culminates in an enchanting experience that explores new imaginaries and perspectives on nature and art.

The light art installation will be preceded by a conversation between Studio Lemercier and Dr Harry Watkins, Director of the St Andrews Botanic Garden. Together they will reflect on the residency so far and discuss some of the common ground they have discovered, as well as the differences in their respective research and interests. Studio Lemercier will also discuss their current work in progress and their research process. Together they will also explore why interdisciplinary exchange is particularly relevant at this moment in time, and what is needed to enable productive dialogue between botanists, gardeners, artists and our audiences.

Speakers

Studio Lemercier and their team are based in Brussels, working primarily within projections of light in space. The studio's practice seeks to escape from the screen by using unconventional surfaces such as water mist or other custom structures. Much of the work is inspired by nature and reflects on the representation of hte natural world through code, mathematics, sciences, and technologies. This fascination with nature goes hand in hand with Joanie Lemercier's personal commitment to environmental activisim, which in turn informs the work of the studio.

Dr Harry Watkins is a landscape architect and the Executive Director of the St Andrews Botanic Garden. He is particularly interested in urban ecology and novel ecosystems and uses functional biogeographical techniques to study species responses to climate change and biosecurity threats. Building on this, he develops tools that allow him to apply research and address practical challenges in the wake of the ecological crisis.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

St Andrews Botanic Garden, Canongate, St Andrews, United Kingdom