"Hand traced shadows record the movement over one day at a potted tulip subject to an increase and then decrease in temperature."

From changing the shadows screenprint series, by Linus Kraemer. linuskraemer.com

I think I remember collecting this from a student show. I used to love going to all the graduate shows in London and collecting interesting pieces. Partly I think to see where people end up (when I re-find the pieces, like now, in future). Linus seems to be a motion designer now, which I think follows on well from this piece, itself an attempt at recording time and motion.

I really enjoy projects like this Changing Shadows series. Attempts to document time and movement in static graphics. I love the way it challenges our conventional ideas of documentary, data visualisation, art and design. Where does this fit exactly? I'm not sure. Which is great.

This project also reminds me of, I think the first time, that my mind was bent by the work of an artist/designer confusing and exciting me in equal measure. Two pieces by old friend Sam Winston, created in the late 90s.

One was a large piece of paper with a messy arch of felttip marks and assorted footprints, made via the repeated opening of a door. The felttip had been secured to the bottom of the door, the paper secured under it, and as people came and went it drew the documentary like line. I remember thinking how daft the idea seemed, but also how fascinating, and how revealing it was of activity that's usually invisible and inconsequential. A visual and oddly aesthetic record and mundane act.

The second (that I think was part of the same documentary project) was an enormous piece of paper, with an enormous cloud-like felttip scribble all over it. Starting in one corner as a very vivid spiral of scribbles, and fading slowly in definition into very faint and almost invisible marks. It was a documentary / visual representation of the complete contents of one felt tip. Again, such a seemingly daft idea, but so good to look at, and feels questions of how much else in the world we don't see or even think about.

I'm pleased to say that I nagged Sam so much about my love of this piece over the years that he ended up giving it to me. I have it stored safely, and plan one day when budget and space allows to frame and hang it.