Wytham Seasons (the Observed and the Observer) is a panorama of five (seemingly linked) photographs taken in the nearby Wytham Woods for an oncology unit.

The artwork uses lenticular technology to replicate the experience of being in woodland, so that your eyes slowly become attuned to subtle changes in light or the presence of wildlife.

 

The images are framed as windows looking into a different (external) space. Edwina chose lenticular photos because hospitals use scanning equipment (C.A.T/X-rays/M.R.I scanners) to visualise, and diagnose, our body’s internal landscape – including the presence or absence of cancer cells.

Rather than being scanned yourself, you can scan the external landscape of the nearby woodlands. Patients using this waiting area therefore become both observed and observers.

Because you need to move slightly to read all aspects of the photographs, the aim is to make everyone in the area more comfortable and relaxed, to generate conversations, and make time pass more quickly.

 

It is not about landscape as spectacle per se: the photographs convey the passing of the seasons. The core image is a sunny autumn day which transforms into different times of year according to where you position yourself in front of each photo.