BOTANICAL - info 2022
Botanical Inquiry is an ongoing series of works that began in 2014. Before picking up his camera, Shipp forages for wild plants in back streets and vacant blocks, seeking out examples of natural wonder in overlooked urban shrubbery.
The works reference the Romantic style of botanical illustration common in the 18th century and are the result of a bespoke method of image-making akin to a diorama. Carefully constructed in the studio and then captured in-camera, Shipp uses the visual effect techniques of pre-digital cinema to manipulate light, perspective and colour to create surreal suburban landscapes.
The juxtaposition of crisp colourful plants and a brooding urban background suggest that something is awry. The man-made world is dark and ominous while nature – in its most simple and humble form – appears to thrive. And while the works hint at environmental decay, there is also a triumphant sense of nature trouncing adversity.