To Travel, 2024

Balga leaf, resin, charcoal, copper.

300 x 800 x 280 cm

There is a lot to be found in the movement of things.

Of leaf from tree.

Of resin from trunk.

Of copper from spool.

Of leaf from copper and resin as glue.

Of spirit from body.

Of body from story.

To Travel, 2024 is about connecting, collecting and reassembling. The artist started this installation in conversation with the balga tree, also known as grass tree or Xanthorrhoea. The balga spoke in a fluid notion, of brittleness and strength, of holding on and giving up, of releasing and unravelling. From this beginning, and further conversation with Wardandi elder Nan Viv (Vivian Brockman-Webb), the artist has transitioned the balga to represent her own interpretation of the spirit making its way into the sky with a gradual incline and dispersion. The copper wire is a conduit for the story held in this interaction between Country and artist, and is designed to bring the audience into engagement with the work as it subtly responds to the movement of the viewer.

Created on residency and with support of The Farm Margaret River.

Below installation images taken by Olive Lipscombe.