Abstract:
Fossil Cairn deliberates on the scientific, ethical, and phenomenological meanings posed by the 176 fossil and mineral specimens found beside the bodies of Scott and his party on their ill-fated return from the South Pole, 1912. Central to the installation are my photos of these rocks (Natural History Museum collection, London) cut out and wall-mounted in a cairn-like shape 250x240 cm, reiterating the snow cairn raised over the bodies when found. This accompanies expedition objects and a diagram with 48 quotes in snowflake form, each branch a different line of thought. “Jenkinson takes a new angle on the [Antarctic] landscape in her installation…Christchurch Art Gallery director Jenny Harper says these remnants of human endeavour evoke a sense of timelessness and represent the ultimate price paid by Scott and his team”, C. Moore, The Press. In sum, Scott’s scientific specimens are reexamined through artistic and ethical filters, a discussion furthered in my conference paper Ponderable Matter, Hobart, 2010.