Out of Season
Dr Erica Seccombe

Have you ever thought about what a mung bean looks like from the inside when it germinates? Erica Seccombe has, so she created an innovative work of art using leading-edge scientific technologies to capture a unique view of mung beans and alfalfa seeds sprouting. Projecting the resulting time-lapse data stereoscopically in cinematic 3D, the immersive installation Out of Season creates a translucent and mesmerizing experience as the ‘virtual’ seeds come to life. By creating a moment of intense self-reflection, this work connects an individual meaningfully to new ways of thinking about our relationship with nature.

Erica created Out of Season in order to incorporate her use of science and technology to pose new questions, and contribute to relevant contemporary art discourses and environmental concerns. Researching agricultural seeds she X-rayed in the laboratories led her to consider the impact of plant extinction, global food security issues and the concept of the anthropocene in relation to her practice.

Motivated to create Out of Season because of her own concerns for the future of the environment, Erica has stated, ‘I have been driven by the need to express through my practice, a response to the now.  Out of Season reflects the questions, concerns and themes relevant to my lifetime. I live in a techno-scientific society in an era of rapid environmental change.’

The artist acknowledges the support from: ANU Department of Applied Mathematics, VizLab, National Computational Infrastructure, artACT project grant, Synapse residency, ANAT.