Mark Dion
Secret Garden Biological Field Unit, 2004
Coloured pencil on paper
29.5 x 20.8 cm

Mark Dion
Grotto, Secret Garden, 2004
Coloured pencil on paper
29 x 23 cm

Purchased through the Contemporary Art Society Special Collection Scheme with Lottery funding from Arts Council England, 2005

Mark Dion’s practice investigates the complex and ever evolving relationship between man and nature. For Secret Garden Biological Field Unit, Dion built a site specific research laboratory in which a team of scientists and artists studied the plants and insects hidden in the garden next to the South London Gallery. Subsequently, using the traditional methods of hand illustration and photography, the team recorded and displayed their findings. In addition to this project, Dion devised for the SLG gallery space an elaborate multimedia installation that included live piranhas and the reconstruction of a pre-historic ‘fish-lizard’ skeleton. By taking inspiration from advanced contemporary museums and research laboratories, and the original empirical ‘wunderkammern’ (curiosity cabinets), Dion presents his full-bodied projects in an eclectic and engaging manner.