Helen Pynor - Breath @ GV art

I attended the opening of Helen Pynor's new exhibition 'Breath' in Marlybone this week, a series of photographic images inspired by stories of drownings in the river Thames which exposes the relationship between our selves and the fragile and complex inner workings of our bodies. In the images ethereal garments are seemingly photographed in mid drift, carried by the currents of a river. The juxtaposition of drifting, fragile blouses and dresses with human organs which seem to flow from openings in the cloth make very evocative and striking compositions. The colour pallet of white cotton clothing and almost soft pastel pinks of human organs is anatomically accurate, and also very beautiful, especially coupled with the suggested fleeting nature of these scenes. The muted tones and delicate compositions go a long way to detach the themes of human organs and death from horror movie cliches and taboos. This scientific approach to human anatomy, used in a very aesthetic way in these images is maybe almost a return to the anatomical drawings of the renaissance, where high art was informed by scientific knowledge of anatomy. In the same way as renaissance paintings, the images from Breath can educate and inform as well as explore more abstract ideas about mortality and the relationship between our consciousness and our material being.

The photographic images from Breath also reminded me of the work of Toni Frissell, who photographed fashion models wearing delicate dresses submerged in water in a dolphin tank. These underwater photographs also evoke drowning, and explore themes of mortality and the fragility of our bodies.

Mimicry is the highest form of flattery

While visiting the Sony photographer of the year exhibition in London this weekend I was drawn to a series of photographs which appeared to depict plants being held in laboratory clamps. My first guess was that the photos  documented some kind of avant garde botany project, using genetic manipulation to change the genus of plants. In fact the real explanation was even more interesting, the photographs were taken by scientists involved in The Phylliidae Project, an international scientific discipline which aims to breed and manipulate leaf mimicking insects for entry into a yearly competition. From the images on display it was clear the standard is already remarkably high, it was actually impossible to see where the insects began and the plants ended. I wished a video clip had been included as part of the LCD information panel to the side of the photos, in which a gradually changing perspective would slowly allow the insect to be distinguished from the surrounding leaves.

The idea of scientists breeding insects, manipulating the DNA either directly or by altering the diet and living conditions of the insects, is endlessly fascinating. Human beings have long selectively bred animals to better meet our needs, or in the case of domestic animals for aesthetics, however the level of sophistication and detail involved in the leaf insect breeding surpasses anything you would see in a dog show. Another fact that caught my imagination is that all Phylliidae eggs are identical, despite the huge variation in appearance of the insects.

Given the constant miniaturisation of technology and a recent article I read about scientists attempting to control the behaviour of insects remotely, it leads me to wonder how long it will be before cameras fitted to custom ordered leaf insects are used for spying. Insects genetically altered to blend exactly into brickwork, or the specific rock formations found in the mountains of Afghanistan are used to film and listen to the conversations of terrorist groups or rebel organisations, or even sent to spy on the spouse of a jealous lover.