There is no question that spending time in nature is good for your physical and mental health. A 2023 study showed that the risk of developing depression is 20% lower in people who live near, or spend significant amounts of time in, green spaces. The Japanese tradition of “forest bathing” has found new enthusiasts across the world. The aim is to really focus on the natural world, from the rays of sunlight catching the leaves to birdsong echoing from the canopy. It is a process of immersion, rather than simply walking for exercise or fresh air. The practice rose in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, a fact that is not surprising, as many faced months of isolation, uncertainty and anxiety. In 2023, the NHS mental health services treated 3.8 million people – the largest number on record. It is understandable, then, that alternative wellness solutions have risen to higher levels of engagement.
Mary Mattingly’s (b. 1978) extensive photographs bottle the transformational quality of nature. The artist drew inspiration from a moonlit walk around Socrates Sculpture Park, New York. Informed by the blossoming and changing flora, Night Gardens considers the wild and shifting relationships between different lifeforms, humans included. Each image began with experimentation, as Mattingley took cuttings, scanned plants and foliage, incorporated fish tanks and mirrors, crafted flowers out of fabric and used digital programmes in the piece’s creation. The works blend the physical and digital realms, using modern technology to bring the age-old majesty of nature to vivid life.
In particular, the exhibition evokes riparian zones, the transitional areas between bodies of water such as rivers, lakes and streams and the land around them. These areas are vital to maintaining a stable habitat, helping to reduce flooding downstream, improve water quality by filtering it thorough vegetation and capturing carbon. They are liminal spaces, and places of adaption. These precious ecosystems date back centuries, telling age-old stories of survival, imagination and transformation in a time defined by the severity of the climate crisis.
Robert Mann Gallery, until 7 February: robetmann.com
Image Credits:
Mary Mattingly, from Night Gardens. Image courtesy of Robert Mann Gallery.
Mary Mattingly, Low Tide, 2023. Archival pigment print. 20 x 20 inches. Edition of 5, plus 2 Aps © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery.
Mary Mattingly, Moon Garden, 2023. Archival pigment print. 20 x 20 inches, Edition of 5, plus 2 Aps © Mary Mattingly, Courtesy Robert Mann Gallery.
