Drawing the border






An experiment in drawing the border
Drawing in a series responding to Google Earth images along one of the closest land / sea borders to Lunar House, where the Thames meets the sea

These Google Earth images, produced by a dislocated eye from above, raise questions of how we map, control and understand our relationship to the land and people around us

A process of detailed drawing challenges and subverts the Google Earth images - making visible the labour in production of the border, bringing in the human scale and exploring how we understand the border

Using the dislocated image from above to find a closer connection to the image / land

Drawing as a way of trying to understand - mimicry as a method of learning, giving time and space for thought

Drawing as a way of thinking about the concept of the border as a construction as I draw the completely porous line between water and land

Intrigued and seduced by the Google Earth image - drawing as a way to envelop myself in the image - trying to understand it

Navigating at the human scale - my hand on paper, finely marking the paper, twisting the paper as I move around the image

The movement of the body when drawing compared to the movement of the body when visiting Lunar House - Lunar House requires a tilt in the neck, the building looking down, whereas the drawing requires a bend in the neck, a gentle arch down to the image - stretching my neck in both directions

The act of drawing making visible the labour in the production of the border and bringing in the human hand and scale





12th September - drawing with a non descript beginning, a pain in the neck and back

13th September - sun setting - orange, pink, purple, blue - lines of long gone planes trace through the colours - a child frantically cycles his bike along the pavement (green uniform and tight helmet), his mother follows slightly further back on a scooter (also with a tight helmet), they go by twice, then the mother is substituted/swapped by the father, scootering much closer to the boy and without a helmet, he tries to comment on the colour of the light (it is nice) but the boy cycles on determined to not be distracted - I, now distracted myself, found it hard to find the focus within the drawing

14th September - drawing with company - listening to music - do well by pip millett (do well, time will tell me, hold on, it’s not that long, patience, it’s all I need to keep me strong, keeps me strong, I love english, don’ know if it loves me back) - the pencil felt different, the paper a different texture, drawing and rubbing out, slightly unsatisfied

more days in September - drawing without note taking




I found the process of drawing very meditative and it allowed me a space to reflect and lose myself in the image / idea of the border

A process of slowing down

Although very beneficial - the process of slowing down was too slow for me in this moment and had to be paused - hopefully to be picked up again soon





Mark