About Effigies in a Wood

Effigies in a Wood

I made crude shamanistic figures out of hessian and cord, although not quite intending them to be the effigies they seemed to become. They accompanied me to a secluded woodland. Light in the  woodland morphed from dappled to mottled as the sun battled with clouds, and earthy scents rose from the damp forest floor and a curious scene unfolded, a fleeting installation born of impulse and introspection.

Alone with just the crude figures in the emptiness as we ventured beneath the autumn canopy. I built a makeshift shelter from fallen branches. In this shelter, the effigies were laid and dwelt quietly and still for a time. I felt directed to suspend them in the shelter, their suspension allowed them to move in errant breezes. I shivered their presence more sinister than I had intended in the eerie shadows.

As the forest murmurs shrouded me, quiet introspection ensued, a recognition of life's impermanence and the beauty in imperfection. The effigies, acting as conduits for contemplation, invited thoughts on life and death, on light and shadow, form and void.

I took photographs and videos, hoping to capture the installation's raw essence and its sinister overtones, a testament to life's fleeting nature. In woodland whispers, the figures, shadow and substance, swayed in the wind, silent reminders of ancient knowledge. 

Finally, I placed my wood cut-out word onto a branch, for in the end, all is a 'whatever'.