‘The Earth, the Heat, the Dust’ is an animation made entirely of cyanotypes. Cyanotype is a slow-reacting, economical photographic printing process sensitive to UV light. The subject matter of these cyanotype prints is the area in and around the source of the River Lea, showcasing the beauty of the area and the importance of its preservation. The texture is explored using recycled paper, and the chalk water used in the cyanotype process explores the physicality of the river’s importance.
POEM: The Earth, the Heat, the Dust.
Amongst the marshes,
a town’s lifeblood
pulses through its chalky veins.
Its sediments flow and vibrate
and settle
amidst the earth, the heat, the dust.
Here, we have gathered.
We have shared, we have protected.
Through seasons we are born,
and the bourn of mud and rocks gave to us
as we gave back.
Never knowing hunger,
the beasts flourished and fed.
And our sediments flow and vibrate
and settle
amidst the earth, the heat, the dust.
The makers and the gatherers
Emerge and merge in unison.
A rhythm, a pace, a beat so strong.
Life reinforced, straw floated along the stream
alongside the feathers.
And its sediments flow and vibrate
and settle
amidst the earth, the heat, the dust.
Here we have gathered.
We have united
in a melodious symphony
of light, fluidity and love.
Amongst the rubble and mud
and concrete;
the straw and the feathers,
the tears and the sweat
meander down the stream.
To new sensations. Hope; its sediments flow and vibrate
and settle
amidst the earth, the heat, the dust.
Here, we have gathered.
We have lost.
We have reminisced.
And the town’s lifeblood
lingers still.
Its veins may wither
but its substance, its soul
abides within us.
Our sediments flow and vibrate
and settle
amidst the earth, the heat, the dust,
forevermore.
