Echolocation – The Flightpath of Starbeard 3.
Commissioned in conjunction with ONCA Gallery and Sussex Wildlife Trust, this artist map tracks the flightpath of a single Barbastelle bat from a roost in Butcherland, Ebernoe Common in Sussex. Using data from a Sussex Wildlife Trust field survey, I’ve mapped the geography and fauna of the flightline along hedgerows and the River Kird. As the bat uses echolocation to navigate his way, the historical echoes of the people in this part of the Sussex Weald can also be heard.
The name ‘Starbeard’ refers to the Latin translation of Barbastelle; Barba = beard and Stelle = star and the map’s long design echoes historical English strip map forms that first emerged in the early days of the postal service. Strip maps focus exclusively on features encountered on the journey itself, rather than the surrounding environment.
This piece was first shown at the ‘Making Tracks’ exhibition in 2013 and then in ‘Perspectives’ exhibition in 2017 at ONCA gallery. Further information on ONCA can be found here and further information on Sussex Wildlife Trust can be found here.
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