Caught in the Act of Becoming

20:43; 2017

With the majority of Scotland’s landscape constructed and shaped by farming and industry it is impossible to fathom the rich ancient woods through which Merlin once wandered. Building from the Black Book of Carmarthen's 16th century Welsh descriptions of Merlin’s refuge in the Scottish forests, this film uses the elements depicted in the vidid tales of his madness. In the twenty minute performance documentation scale models of imaginary histories and reshaped lands are constructed and destroyed.
It is difficult to comprehend the rich natural world of the Scottish Highlands prior to introduction of invasive species and construction, through highlighting historically referenced aspects of the environment (Sagina Subulata moss, Old Red Sandstone clay, Rhynie Chert stone) we can reimagine the uniqueness of the land. The Scots Pine is the oldest tree found in Scotland, dating back 9,600 years. This impractical tree serves no purpose in our capitalistic society and has become an elusive clue to unpacking the mystical nature of the vanishing forests. With only one percent of the country's forests consisting of Scots Pine the country has replaced its once wild habitats with Alaskan Sitka Spruce an easily functional tree due to its consistent straight growth. Through dissecting the elements of the land and the Scots Pine I draw attention to the quickly disappearing indigenous plant populations that have been replaced by profit.