Brentford Biopsy

On the 8th May a visit was arranged to the Watermans Art Centre in Brentford to take part in a workshop related to the 'Brentford Biopsy' project on display. The group was already familiar with the area due to our work with the nearby Watermans Park where we had been developing Landscape proposals.
The Brentford Biopsy exhibiton, created by artist Christian Nold relates to peoples feelings and perceptions of Brentford and includes some unusual mapping and analysis techniques. The group was split into two with each conducting a different excercise. One group was split into pairs, with one person blindfolded and earplugged there perceptions of the area were recoreded using the remaning senses of smell and touch. Meanwhile other members of the group were dispatched into the town wired up to a sensor and GPS handset. The purpose of this kit was to record feelings and reactions towards the experiences people had while in Brentford and then to use the GPS system to create a map of the route they had taken, picking out the emotional responces which were felt along the way. Both analysis methods held some interesting results which we had not considered at the beginning of the day. The activity certinally has the potential to enrich future landscape analysis.
Further details about the Brentford Biopsy exhibition are available at http://www.watermans.org.uk/take_part/brentford_biopsy/