Jennie Speirs Grant
Changes in Environment, Landscape, Living Systems and Nature are central elements within my practice and understanding, often directly forming the source and starting point for new work.
Recent & Current works
The Biochar Series of carbonised sculptural objects, an extended series of drawings exploring language and biodiversity, The Biosemiotic Drawings made from direct observations of birdsong and works concerned with ocean acidification, the fate of calcifying plankton and sound pollution.
Research projects in support of these themes has been carried out with the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, the British Antarctic Survey and with Sail Britain in UK coastal waters, Cornwall and the Western Isles.
Anthropogenic Lochan, Scottish Borders.
Symptomatic of environmental changes observed and experienced between 1985 - 2020 .
To the Blue Black Lemons of Anxiety.
Carbonised lemons, fresh lemon,
cafe style lemon basket.
AST Studio Garden. Jesmond Dene
Cultural gardening.
Maintaining and growing of the multi use teaching, research and cultural space and habitat in the Banqueting Hall's unfoofed section.
When Summer is Coming, When Summer is Near (detail)
Biocharred Heather, Biocharred Buttercup, Plastic Lemons
Early Contextual Practice
1999 Assistant to Dr Ian Hamilton Finlay, at the Stonypath Garden / “Little Sparta” Dunsyre, Lanarkshire. Landscape work,
artwork installation, gardening, and works on paper.
1995 The Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Aberdeenshire. Residency. Sculpture & Landscape.
1991 The Scottish Sculpture Workshop, Aberdeenshire. Residency. Stainless Steel sculpture.
1998/99 Earth Balance, Blyth, Environmental Visitor Centre. Consultancy and Designs.
1998 Blyth Power Station. Collaborative international arts development work with arts organisation Green Bridge / Zeleni
Most, The British Trust For Conservation Volunteers, Arts/Education/Conservation Trainees from Mostar, Bosnia.
1998 Cambois First School. Artist in Residence. Project work based on the Carbon Cycle, linked to Environmental artworks
and sculpture at Blyth Power Station. Funded by the Mid Northumberland Arts Group (MidNAG)
1993 Pennywell Estate, Sunderland. Artist in Residence. Arts Resource.
1990 Mainland Orkney, Papa Westray. Cultural and contextual landscape research.
1984/85 Assistant to Ian Hamilton Finlay, Stonypath Garden, “Little Sparta” Dunsyre, Lanarkshire.
1984 Richard Demarco Gallery. Gallery assistant, Edinburgh College of Art exhibitions, installations and 12 day conference
Art and the Human Environment.
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Biochar cone pit experiments 2020
Carbon sequestration by the clean burning of organic waste material.
Blackcap Song patterns. From the Biosemiotic series
Silverpoint, graphite and carbon on BFK Rives 220 gsm