October 1, 2019
In






Taxidermy pigeon, 280+ hand-built paper clay branches, discarded fishing net
260 x 108 x 58 cm I 102 x 42.5 x 23 in
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Creating hundreds of paper clay, oxide stained branches that were then woven into the discarded fishing net extends the visual story beyond one of the pigeon from being simply in flight. To what end have these branches been collected? While they are symbolic of nature as a whole, they also represent the cycle of birds who gather materials with which to create a home.
There is a tension between the branches that are being carried away and those left trailing in a precarious position on the gallery floor. I am interested in an interactive narrative which mirrors life, the audience holding the potential for contrasting roles as the observer, caretaker and destroyer.
While the bird may signify the animal kingdom, the hand-built branches, ranging in colour from a dark charcoal grey to almost white, may represent the struggles of the natural environment on both land and sea -forest fires and coral bleaching.