If.... Heather Phillipson

<i>Arboriculture, to a Dog</i> 2009
Arboriculture, to a Dog 2009

A new instalment of If.... sees Heather Phillipson produce a new filmwork. Heather has developed a practice of making moving image works that are usually short, highly structured and composed. They deal with conjunctions and disjunctions of sound and image, scoring relationships between drawing, sound and movement.

Arboriculture, to a Dog, marks a slight shift in direction. Shot on location in West Wales at her father's arboretum, the video documents a tour around the land by way of a collage of images in which her father recounts the Latin names of the numerous plants and trees. Accompanied by a dog, it is never entirely clear whether her father aims his tour at the audience or only to the dog. This ambiguous relationship raises questions as to the nature and purpose of language, communication and understanding.

This show was selected by
  • Michael Cousin
    • <i>Arboriculture, to a Dog</i> 2009

    Programme