“Attention creates the world, not some simple cognitive function but it is the ground of everything we experience, and the nature of that attention is critical. The way we attend to something changes what we find and the values that we hold change what we think we see.” - Dr. Iain McGilchrist, contemporary philosopher, neuroscience researcher, psychiatrist, and literary scholar.

Susan says, “My paintings focus on Nature because it’s a value I hold.  I’ve been pulling people’s attention to the fragility, and vulnerability of plants in the current environmental crisis we’re facing. Coming at it from Iain McGilchrist’s perspective, I’m asking us all to think about where we are placing our attention, what world is our attention creating? How can attending to these vulnerable species change the course we’re on? How do we feel when we are attending to Nature compared to when we are attending to social media, or the news, or an online game? What does this difference mean to us individually and us as humanity? “

In this exhibition, Susan seeks to unveil the paradoxical nature of our relationship with attention and its moral implications by inviting viewers to reflect on the choices we make in allocating our attention. The selected subject matter of native and endangered plants acts as a poignant metaphor for the precarious state of our natural world, our collective values and where we’ve been placing our attention.

This is an invitation to re-evaluate the profound impact of our attention on the world we inhabit. It is a reminder of the interconnectedness between what we value, where we are placing our attention and the preservation of nature's wonders.

Click on an image below for an enlarged view