The Oak Tree - Reconnecting to Nature

About

The Oak Tree – Reconnecting to Nature
Exhibition by Jane Eaton

10th September – 22nd October
Monday – Saturday 10am – 4pm

For several years Zen Buddhism/Taoism and its subsequent influence on Eastern art has been a recurring theme providing a stimulus in my approach to making work. An additional engagement and link to my work has been an introduction to Geopoetics. This is a concept first developed by Kenneth White, Scottish poet, academic and writer. Centred around a way of looking at art, philosophy and culture based on contact with the earth, it encourages cross-disciplinary and collaborative work in any medium. The ideology addresses and is deeply critical of Western thinking and practice over the last 2500 years and questions the separation of human beings from the rest of the natural world. These two points of interest are signified in my work where I have sought to engage and reconnect to nature.

The English Oak tree provided a perfect point of departure. The mighty oak (tree of life) can be viewed as synonymous to this aim providing many connections and associations historically, symbolically and metaphorically, referencing and sharing similar values across many different cultures.

Employing a cross cultural approach and using traditional materials I have created monochrome imagery which reflects the yin yang philosophy of duality. The 'chance' mark has been a key aspect within my exploration and I have sought to extend awareness and present different levels of interpretation. My aim has been to engage with the subject using the horizontal approach thus emphasising our connection to the ground and to reality; to make work that brings attention to the transience and repetition of cyclical life with its unequivocal energy.

I have also aimed to create a focus on the potency and contribution of reconnecting to nature in our virtual world by creating links between areas of knowledge and experience; bridging cultures and presenting new encounters. Research has confirmed that nature is a valuable resource which contributes significantly to our physical and spiritual growth.

"To be spiritual is to be constantly amazed"
Rabbi Martin Levin (2005)