Location: Hinxton, Cambridgeshire
Research Centre: Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

“I am an artist often working with scientists in my exploration of time and the evolution of nature and the cosmos by way of moonlight, melting glaciers, and dead stars. I am like a magpie, collecting and piecing together ideas from a multitude of places. The imagination always plays a key role.” Katie Paterson

Katie’s conceptual projects make use of sophisticated technologies and specialist expertise to stage intimate, poetic and philosophical engagements between people and their natural environment. While in residence, she will be exploring genomics research. The outcomes of her residency will include an exhibition at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge.

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  First impressions

  "The artwork I will produce is open and this is very important to me; I always want my work to surprise, to be driven by curiosity and never predictive of the result."

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  Interests and approach

  "I am struck by the connection of the millions of DNA clusters visible on the sequencing machinery, to the depth of the night sky. In both, we are looking to great expanses outside and inside ourselves, at the same time."

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  Production

  "I’m delving into entirely new worlds – touching on palaeontology, anthropology, biology, botany, natural history, climatology, zoology, prehistory, archaeology, geology, geography and even astro-biology, which all intertwine together with genetic evolution, as worked on at the Sanger Institute."

Katie Paterson began her residency in July 2012.

www.katiepaterson.com
Katie Paterson’s CV [PDF, 54KB]

Image: Katie Paterson in her studio. Photo © MJC, 2009