A cultivated plant species forms the subject of Simon Starling’s sequence of photographs 7 Rhododendron ponticum plants rescued from Elrick Hill, Scotland and transported to Parque Los Alcornocales, Spain from where they were introduced into cultivation in 1763 by Claes Alstroemer. As in Starling’s work involving solitary expeditions by aluminium boat to distant bauxite mines, his investigation is of the process through which his subject achieved its status, and involves a parallel process of his own. In this case it entailed a journey by car from Scotland to Spain to transport the rhododendron plants back to their original habitat. The stages of the journey are systematically documented by photographing a careful arrangement of the plants lit by two spot lamps powered by battery. The car itself and various objects related to the task at hand are included in the frame. Within the resulting sequence of images the plant specimens form the focus of the composition and the formal arrangement of still life is evident. The title of the work echoes the taxonomic approach of an earlier era, providing instruction and classification.

Still Life, British Council 2000