MADELINE JONES

I explore internal and external experiences of site through sculpture, photography, and film. Notions of performance, failure, material ephemerality, and chance are ongoing concerns in my research.

My recent practice investigates cameraless photography through experimental processes in the colour darkroom. Conceived as a site of inquiry, the darkroom becomes a laboratory in which the enlarger functions as a forensic lens, examining botanical specimens embedded within handmade bio-negatives. Focusing on plant species that are non-native to the UK, the work traces their transformation and material collapse over time. The materials shift into ambiguous landscapes, oscillating between microscopic observation and topographical abstraction. The inversion of colour alters the appearance of the specimens, producing unfamiliar and unstable forms. Through these processes, the work reflects on change, fragility, and the uneasy relationship between preservation, memory, and ecological displacement.