Epha J. Roe is an English artist, writer and researcher living and working in rural Herefordshire, UK.
ABOUT EPHA’S WORK
Drawing on the emerging science related to plant intelligence and its effects upon creative practice, Epha’s work explores the connections between humans and the natural world with a particular interest in the presence of the oak tree in English culture and history. This interest in the natural world also extends into the theoretical discipline of Queer Ecology, a form of queer engagement with aspects of nature that challenge the dominant narratives of nature which place heterosexuality and binary gender at its centre.
Self-portrait with a mature oak tree which features as the subject of my Perceiving Phytochrome images, Hergest Croft Gardens , Kington, UK.
PROJECT HIGHLIGHT:
Arboreal Encounters:
Heritage Oaks in the English Landscape
A series of six large-format photographic prints of English heritage oak trees as part of Epha’s practice-based PhD. The prints are made using the cyanotype process in combination with oak tannin as a dye, a chemical compound found within the leaves and bark of oak leaves. The project explores how plants can, through the incorporation of their organic material, become part of the process of their own representation.
‘Our Roots’
This short vignette titled ‘Our Roots’ is a work-in-progress video featuring sound by Joe Davin and spoken word written and narrated by myself. The audio debuted in ‘Roots’, a solo exhibition held in Worcester in 2023, funded by the Centre for Digital Cultures and Innovation. As an experiment in the practice of disseminating research and theory in an accessible way, the audio piece brings together a mix of creative writing inspired by guided meditation with pockets of research surrounding ideas of plant intelligence and agency; notions of the collaborative relationship between plants and humans; and light as a symbol that links the action of the camera with the action of photosynthesis.
All scenes within the video focus on two oak trees that are also the subjects of my project Perceiving Phytochrome, another component of my PhD research.
The full audio (8mins 40) can be heard here.