The 2 works presented here were part of a group exhibition at different venues across the Romney Marshes. The exhibitions responded to the anniversary of Derek Jarman's death and were hosted in churches across the region.
Finlay exhibited two works, 'Out of the Blue' and 'Into the Black', lithographic prints in editions of 500 with pencil and hand painted marks on the surface of the images.
Taylor’s practice explores how we understand and relate to notions of ‘the landscape’, examining the geographies, species and sites the term encompasses. In doing so, his works engage with the histories of the places and things depicted; the nature of scientific knowledge and our shifting relationships to the habitats we encounter.
For the Art in Romney Marshes event ‘Blue’ Taylor's two lithographs. ‘Out of the Blue’ depicting a bee swarm and ‘Into the Black’ showing a dew covered spiders web. The artist invites the audience to take one of the works, a gift, a choice firstly if they would like to have a piece and secondly which one. Beyond this a notion of care or responsibility, and any values that may be attached to the objects are considered. The prints are multiples displayed singly and replenished at intervals, the edition of 500 is a conceivable number but not infinite. Some of the works have been altered by the artist, painted and drawn on. This shifts the norm of identical parts in an edition and introduces unique individual pieces with slight differences. These ideas relate to the current concerns of plentitude and scarcity within the natural world, its fragilities and powers.
‘Out of the Blue’ has a dripping blue oval interfering with the space; blue is an important colour to bees, an indicator of nectar rich flowers and a spot that beekeepers use to identify the queen bee’s. The colour blue connotations are culturally various, Derek Jarman’s book 'Chroma' exploring colour and his declining physical condition titles his chapter on Blue, ‘Into the Blue’. Taylor’s titles also refer to Neil Young’s songs exploring creation and destruction, ‘My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)’ and ‘Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)’. The imagery Taylor uses depicts a swarm, a site of hope and building, a home. The web is an anti entomology, a place of death but also feeding and sustenance, another home or controlled area.
The work was shown at St Thomas à Becket Church at Fairfield.