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Artist’s Statement presented at the exhibition opening.
The catalyst for this exhibition was a particular artwork – this long rubbing and drawing of tree roots. The roots are from the massive exposed root structures which anchor the river red gums to the dry river bed of the Murchison River. When I started making this piece I didn’t actually know how long the roll of paper was. I started bringing pieces of roots that had broken back to the shed we stay in, and laying them on a table to make the rubbing. By the time I’d come to the end, it was 17 metres all up. I realized that If I ever wanted to show it, the only place in Albany that I could show it is here in this gallery, as this is the only exhibition space in Albany where you can pin to the wall. So I decided to build an exhibition around this work, which is titled You can do it. The roots hold the trees in place, they tether the trees to the ground through floods and cyclones. Part of being in a rural environment, whether you’re camping or on a farm, you always seem to be tethering things, – tying things down, tensioning the guy ropes on a tent, opening and closing gates, they’re ongoing tasks. For me tethering is about connecting and holding on and when something is tethered there is often the potential for movement. The tension between stillness and movement is interesting. When I’ve been making these works I’ve been using techniques which are tethering actions – tying, looping, stitching, and choosing materials which are used to tether – rope, string, wire, threads. I’m hoping that, for the viewer, the physical aspect of tethering is an entrance point to what I want to express about tethering – about psychological and spiritual tethering. I’ve thought about tethering in relationships – connecting to others, I like creating connections between people, and I’ve thought about spiritual connection to nature and to place, and what is it about particular places that foster a deep sense of connection. I’ve tried to find ways to express my sense of connection to the section of the Murchison River that we’ve got to know over many years, so burying cloth and canvas in the leaves, dyeing cloth and cord with dyes made from leaves and bark of trees from the creek bed, for me they are ways of connecting to the place. The ideas around tethering have been swirling around in my head as I’ve been making the works. Interestingly the dictionary definition of tethering talks about restricting movement but I’ve looked at it a different way, that it actually allows for give and take. I think if we had a bit more tethering in the world, connecting but allowing movement, then things would be a lot better. I’ll finish with a quote from DH Lawrence, written almost 100 years ago, but which seems very appropriate today: “Vitally the human race is dying. It is like a great uprooted tree with its roots in the air. We must plant ourselves again in the universe”. |
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