Art and writing by Oxford based artist, Nicholas Hedges

Look, trees exist

"If the opposite of war is peace, the opposite of experiencing moments of war is proposing moments of pastoral"

Paul Fussell

"We have been living this same moment ever since we were conceived. It is memory, and to some extent sleep, that gives the impression of a life of discrete parts, periods or sections, of certain times or 'highlights'." Bill Viola,‘Reasons for Knocking at an Empty House. Writings 1973-1994 “For although we know that the years pass, that youth … Continue Reading

Disordered Time

In my last post I talked about entropy, in particular with reference to a book I’ve recently re-read by Carlo Rovelli called ‘The Order of Time’. I ended with the question (one as much for myself as anyone else); what has this got to do with my work? So, here goes with (the beginnings of) an answer. As I’ve said, my work has often sought to … Continue Reading

Entropy

My work has often involved an exploration of time, in particular, how we can best imagine a past moment as ‘now’. Recently I’ve been re-reading Carlo Rovelli’s ‘The Order of Time’ and have been particularly interested in entropy and the part it plays in the fact time always flows from the past towards the future. But what is entropy and what has … Continue Reading

Wicked Magician, Fly

For many years I’ve had a song in my head, the lyrics for which I’ve always remembered as being: The wicked magician flies through the night With long wings to take him far out of sight When you are safe in bed, he’s flying overhead Wicked magician, fly! I was< I thought, about 7 or 8 when, as a class, we all sang along to the … Continue Reading

The Quanta of History

I have just finished reading Carlo Rovelli's 'The Order of Time' which, as well as being a fantastic read, has helped me think about my own thoughts on time and in particular, the idea of trying to see the past as if it were the present. Rovelli takes the reader on a journey from what might be termed a 'common perception of time,' to one that … Continue Reading

Empathy Forward

Much of my work over the past however many years has been about empathy and how we can empathise with those who suffered trauma in the past. In part, this line of work began with a visit I made to Auschwitz in 2006 and developed with visits to other sites of historical trauma including the battlefield sites of the First World War. My work has … Continue Reading

The Natural World of 978

I've written before about this postcard. When I bought it n 1978 I was 7 years old and, in many ways, it marked the beginning of my interest in History - the idea that there was a time when the year could be written with just 3 numbers; 9, 7, and 8 - and at some point my interest in the past was conflated with that of my interest in nature; in … Continue Reading

The Gone Forest

Two years ago I shot some video at Shotover Country Park (see 'Writing Shadows') and finally, this weekend, I had the chance to edit the clips together to make a piece entitled 'The Gone Forest'. The piece is something viewers can dip in and out of rather than sit through from beginning to end, and while it is a finished piece, there are lots of … Continue Reading

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