LS: Aerated Series (Selection: 1,3 and 4 of 11) (2019), Zinc- etched prints on blotting paper.
These prints form part of a series of work made in conjunction with Heather Ross’s practice-based PhD research into the work of Kurt Schwitters, specifically focussing on his Merz Barn (1947-48), the internal wall of which has been situated in the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle, since 1965. Ross has been working closely with the Hatton Gallery’s archive, engaging with material relating to the movement of the ‘Wall’ from the Merz Barn, and its subsequent restoration and conservation. She has been interested in decisions made by those surveying and conserving the ‘Wall’, with respect to what was deemed to be an important part of the artwork - worth preserving - and what has been lost in transit.
In conservator’s reports, ‘damp’ is often listed as a nuisance, to be eradicated and controlled in aid of preserving the museum object. However, Schwitters’ Merz Barn was originally made in response to the natural environment, housed within the Lake District national park and subject to changes in weather, to interventions left by natural organisms, and to erosion over time. The Aerated Series aims to capture and document some of the natural ephemera and changes that would have formed part of experiencing Schwitters’ Merz Barn in this context; offering a more sensorial approach and providing an archival record (and reminder) of this aspect of the structure. Each zinc plate was placed outside in the artist’s garden (Lancashire) between the months of January-November 2019, and prints were then taken to reveal how the zinc had recorded changes in weather, traces of natural ephemera, and its gradual erosion over this time.

Heather Ross (b1983) lives and works in Preston, Lancashire. She is currently undertaking a practice-based PhD at Newcastle University. Her current research is concerned with generating new sensorial insights into the work of German artist, Kurt Schwitters, with specific focus on his final artwork, The Merz Barn (1947-48) made in the Lake District, England and situated in the Hatton Gallery, Newcastle since 1965. She also teaches part time at The University of Central Lancashire as a Lecturer in MA and BA Fine Art and is a member of The Birley Artist Studios, Preston. Recent solo exhibitions have included: The Losses 2020, Hatton Gallery; All The Better To Hear You With 2019, Hatton Gallery and The Loud and the Soft Speakers 2018, Hatton Gallery and Patterns of Consumption 2018, Long Gallery, Newcastle University. Recent group shows have included: Merz Women and the Daughters of Dada 2018 University of Cumbria; The State of Print 2019 (Touring) DCA, Dundee/Spike Island, Bristol. Recent publications:Towards An Archaeology of Gesture in Kurt Schwitters' 'Pointless' Collage (or how I 'learned' about Schwitters' work through painting leftovers), JAWS Intellect Journal, London.
Ross has been selected for the Biennale Internationale de Casablanca 2020 (now postponed until May 2021) and has recently received a micro commission from The Brewtime Collective, Preston.