In Gathered Forms, James Harris brings together photographic and sculptural works developed through sustained observation of leaves, both individually and in groups. Collected across different geographies, the leaves are recorded in multiple, highly detailed close-up images that are later stitched together to form composite photographs. These constructed images move beyond botanical record towards abstraction, where repetition, overlap, and shifts in scale reveal underlying structures and patterns.
Running alongside this is a parallel sculptural process. From within the composite photographic fields, selected forms are digitally isolated and translated into three-dimensional models. The sculptures are realised through 3D printing and traditional casting in bronze and glass, transforming fragile organic matter into objects of weight and permanence. Many are paired with 5,000-year-old Fenland Black Oak, introducing a material history that extends far beyond the original act of observation.
Seen together, the works move from observation to form, allowing material and time to register quietly within them.