ABOUT INGRID
I am an associate professor and researcher at Rhodes University focusing on science and environmental education. I am an obsessive macro-photographer and have experience in the process of natural dyeing gained through an apprenticeship in the Greek Village of Zagora and experimentation with dyeing of wool with local Eastern Cape plants. I use photography and eco-printing to integrate artistic expression into my teaching (environmental, primary, natural science, geography and technology education) and to further enable inter- disciplinary explorations of real-world environmental complexities, especially at the cusp of art and science.
In my photography, my macro-lens is my companion in scientific explorations; offering precision, detail and clarity to highlight the unexpected and under-valued in the micro world of plants, insects and other tiny fascinations. I adjust focus, perspective, compositions and movement in recognition of uncertainty, unpredictability and unfathomability … concepts of equal importance to scientific interpretation and representation.
I brought my experience of eco-printing in the Blue Mountains of Australia to South Africa - experimenting with indigenous local plants, found metals and other kitchen scraps in dyeing paper. I add to these prints by backlighting them to create ‘litworks’ of layers and light in celebration of the visual feasts offered the natural world.
This website showcases a number of my ongoing art projects. If you are interested in acquiring any of these , you can click on the contact tab and get in touch!