Emotional Response located in a series of concrete chambers in the weir on the River Lagan, Belfast.

The work was in-situ for two weeks. 

Room 1:

Dimensions variable

Steel plate on floor, spotlight, water (+ dripping mechanism), iron oxide, natural and manufactured, speaker playing 'plant noises' (courtesy of Ralph Gaebler, Invivo GmbH)

Water constantly seeped into the concrete chambers from the river and dripped from the ceiling. A dripping mechanism was added to mimic this process, directing water onto a steel plate on the floor of the first room. The sounds, echos, and colour (of iron oxide) created by this dripping served to illustrate or emphasize the movement of water through the space and the effects that it can have. A spotlight also projected the ripples and interference patterns of the water onto the wall. A speaker in this room played a soft, pulsating sound that echoed and resonated through the chambers. The sound used was the result of scientific research by Ralph Gaebler, Invivo GmbH, Germany, who agreed to the use of this existing research in the exhibition. The research monitored plants and measured their responses (through release of gases) to changes in their health and surrounding environment. These responses were converted into the sounds used in the piece.

Room 2:

1.2m (diameter) x 8m (h)

Tulip bulbs,  moisture, light, iron oxid, nylon thread

On each string was suspended a single growing tulip bulb. Collectively, these took on a bulbous form that from certain angles appeared to resemble a helix, sometimes a more chaotic mass. The tulips continued to grow over the 2 weeks of the show until on the verge of flowering.

Room 3:

1m (diameter) x height variable

Raw fleece, other materials

A large ball of raw fleece was attached to the wall of this chamber above head height. The moisture in the space reacted with the wool to release a strong organic smell.

Photos by Claire Morgan.