Andrea Geile

Hoy Bunker No2. Print created with digital imaging during a Residency on Hoy, Orkney Islands. Painting the landscape as a reaction to the monochrome winter island. Organised by 3Islands, Triangle Arts Trust in collaboration with the Pier Arts Centre. April 2008. Photo by Andrea Geile

The Leith Regatta 100 miniature sailboats, carrying a cargo of Scottish wildflowers seeds are launched into the Water of Leith at Bonnington Bridge. Named after ships that passed though Leith's port, this Regatta is a public display of goodwill, involvement and charm, while commenting on biodiversity, changing economic landscapes, migration and distribution. Each boat is sponsored by a ship-owner with the proceeds going to the Water of Leith Conservation Trust. Once the race is complete, all boats become the property of the sponsor. The race will be followed by a picnic where the winner is presented with a trophy. A collaboration with Emma Herman-Smith for MAGAZINE07 at ESW as part of the Edinburgh Arts Festival. Photo: M.Wolchover

Sculpture Park Mixed media. 2009. A domestic size sculpture park. Maquettes of projects I have done, would like to do or I am currently working on. The work 'Sculpture Park' was awarded the RSA Ottillie Helen Wallace Prize 2009 by The Royal Scottish Academy. Photo by Andrea Geile

Armour's Meadow 98 steel poles meandering through the meadow towards the lake. The Scottish Gallery Summer Exhibition at Mellerstain House. June 2007 Photo by M.Wolchover

Speculation on a Pylon Ecosystem. Mixed Media. 130cm high. 2011 The Beauly to Denny powerline and the impact on the environment has been controversial. Recycling the pylons into an ecosystem to replace lost forrests would give a positive sign. Heimat Exhibition. Patriothall Gallery. 2011 Photo: A.Geile

Vertical Biotopes. The catalyst for this group of sculptures is the new Beauly to Denny power line. I began to wonder if there could be any benefit in leaving some of the old transmission towers in situ to be recycled into ecosystems, replacing lost forests and ever decreasing habitats - instead of being scrapped. Through colonising the structures with native plants I aim to create a positive approach to questions about the beauty, use and sustainability of man made structures in the landscape. Working mainly for outdoor spaces, using sculptural techniques and live plants, my practice explores how we have shaped and utilised landscapes for our political, economic and spiritual needs. 'Vertical Biotopes' is an idea, formed by memory of nature and cultural identity. The small scale of these sculptures plays with visual expectation and allows for reflection on diverse discourses such as the role of monumental public art and the historic romanticisation of landscape. The word 'biotope' describes a limited area of specific ecology and includes a complete environmental approach. It is a keyword for the preservation, regeneration, and creation of natural environmental settings. Invited Artist. Visual arts Scotland (VAS) Annual Exhibition 2012. Photo: A.Geile

The Dundas Leaf Puzzle. Festival Exhibition 2006 at The Scottish Gallery, Edinburgh. Coreten Steel Photo by M.Wolchover

Buxus Ring Eight Buxus sempervivum balls in a line with eight Taxus Trees and Coreten Steel. The Scottish Gallery Summer Exhibition at Mellerstain House. June 2007 Photo by M.Wolchover

Home Grown Bronze casts. 2008/09/10. Each between 100mm to 150mm high. A squash from my home town, a workshop bench, a soil test, a strange fruit, garden buildings. Initially started as a playful review of my practice this series is growing into a collection of its own. The bronzes were made during workshops at ESW, Edinburgh College of Art and the Royal Academy London. Photo: A.Geile

Photinia Tree Sculpture. This public art commission is in Kelty, Fife. The site is a new housing development embedded in a rural landscape. By bringing the surrounding nature into the development I hope to enhance a positive sense of place. The site has been landscaped with a sculpture placed in a small grove of six Photinia Red Robin trees. The sculpture mirrors the outline of the trees and matches their final height. The 'canopy' part of the sculpture has Photinia leaf patterns cut out of the surface. The leaves are then slightly folded out and in, breaking the surface and adding an extra dimension. 2008

Portrait in May. Wooden shed, vegetable plants and flowers. I am planning to do a series of different seasonal versions throughout the year. Temporary installation for the Human/Nature exhibition at Patriothall Gallery. May 2008. Photo: A.Geile

Cypress Glow Ring The Cypress Glow Ring is a new sculpture developed for the SURVEY exhibition at the RSA, Edinburgh. The south- west corner of the RSA building poses an interesting challenge regarding its size, the surrounding architecture and the proximity of Princess Street gardens. It is a contemporary version of a classic bosquet (French, from Italian bosco, "grove, wood"), defined as a formal plantation of at least five trees of an identical species. Set in strict regularity as to rank and file, so that the trunks line up as one passes along and symbolic of order in a humanized and tamed landscape. Bosquets form intimate 'rooms' offering privacy and relief from the grand scale and public formality of their surroundings. This project is about growth, strength and happiness through the arts. Cupressocyparis l. 'Carlow Glow' is an evergreen coniferous tree with mid green spray like foliage and lime green glowing tips. The eight trees were grown as pyramids. They are now clipped and wired into columns. Cypress is strong growing and can be trimmed twice a year. This will result in a fast developing sculptural form. Cypress Glow Ring 2007 Coreten steel and eight Cupressocyparis l. 'Carlow Glow'. Size: 2.2 x 2 x 2m Photo by M.Wolchover

Tumble Private commission. Corten steel. 2m high. 2010. My first visit to the garden was on a windy autumn day with leaves tumbling around the already existing Japanese acer tree. The sculpture mirrors the outline of the tree. The site was redesigned with an under planting of bronze- leaved fern and five hundred bulbs to flower throughout the year. Photo by Andrea Geile

Leave-taking. Mixed media. Ceramic, steel, paint. 2011. Photo: A.Geile

Middelton Bunker. Boronia. Giclee Print. Digital image of bunker painted in the colour of the local wild flower 'Boronia'. Artist Residency at the Vancouver Art Centre in Albany, Western Australia 2010. Photo: A.Geile