aphelion

Roughly two weeks after the summer solstice the Earth reaches its apsis Aphelion – the point when the sun is furthest from the Earth.

Spit & Sawdust and Global Gardens celebrated this time with a day-long event that included artworks by artists Johana Hartwig and Anthony Shapland, workshops, communal meals and actions.

It was a chance to pause and ponder the dark and light, day and night, the opposites, extremes, natural cycles, patterns and rhythms of our world.

The day began at Global Gardens at 6am with Johana Hartwig’s dawn chorus audio installation, ‘As clear as the day is long’.
This installation continued throughout the day, but this first hour was a chance to experience it in the quiet stillness of the morning while there was no other activity in the garden.

From that time on we were able to experience Johana Hartwig’s ‘Days Eyes’ - ‘Llygaid y dydd' translates from Welsh as 'Day eyes'. Day eyes or daisies make up around 10% of all flowering plants on earth, and we shared tea and conversation around this flower. There was also the opportunity to listen to an ant colony on the allotment with sound geographer Jonathan Prior. There was a workshop led by Aurora Trinity Collective making felt to make homes for wildlife as well as Global Garden’s weekly gardening session.

We also enjoyed a communal breakfast made by Global Gardens and Spit & Sawdust. As well as preparing for a shared lunch, the emphasis on foods that need the duration of the day to process such as pickling, marinating, stewing.

Following the day’s activities we walked to Spit & Sawdust with Hartwig leading pauses en route to connect with Roath Brook, thinking about access points along the way.

The evening’s highlight was the opening of an exhibition of new work by Anthony Shapland - ‘Between the Dog and the Wolf’

There is a cinematic technique of shooting day for night when night filming is unpredictable. A blue filter is put over underexposed footage. Cameras work as well as eyes. As cones and rods swap places the clarity of daylight stops, you could mistake an obedient dog for a chaotic wolf. It`s when we fall into sleep and our brains re-set. Night workers trade light for wages, moths seek out sweet-smelling plants and bats bounce sound to understand the world. A total absence of light, like sound is rare and almost unimaginable. This was a collection of works and observations, influences and ideas. More a series of notes than a finished work.

You can view ‘Between the Dog and the Wolf’ film work here.

……………………………………………………………………………
Image credits: Anthony Shapland
…………………………………………………………………………..

With thanks to National Community Lottery Fund Wales and Oakdale Trust for funding.