Green Lung, Simon Hamlyn - with captions from Animate Projects on Vimeo.
PLANTING: three animated films - by artists Simon Hamlyn, Lewis Heriz, and Karen Okpoti - made in response to three Derby ‘gardens’ - Derby Arboretum (Britain’s first public park), Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s Green Corridor project in Normanton, and Hannah Fields Community Garden in Littleover.
Green Lung responds to Derby Arboretum, Britain’s first public park, which was commissioned by mill owner Joseph Strutt, and opened in 1840. Simon’s film makes connections between the nature of the park, and the industrial working lives of those it was intended to benefit. Animating screen-printed images, he was keen to avoid the waste that’s often part of this process, using acetate sheets which were scanned, cleaned and re-used, paper stencils and water-based inks. “I started to realise I could use natural materials directly, so that involved collecting and gathering plant material and pressing it and then scanning it and using that imagery, which was really exciting. “It got me outside! And had me looking for textures and patterns that were just naturally available, to incorporate into my work.”
For more information about the artists and partners here: animateprojects.org/portfolio/planting/
