21st Century Settler
2012
Digital Photography, Photography
21st Century Settler - Landscapes of the Kangaroo Valley, NSW
- 21st Century Settler
- This is an attempt to capture the uniqueness of the Australian landscape in much the same way early colonial artists attempted to. Here the Kangaroo Valley, in the depth of the misty winter, offers a landscape reminiscent of the ones Frederick McCubbin (1855-1917) painted: misty, dimly lit and somewhat lonely.
-
This series of images are essentially a dialogue between myself, and locations I’ve visited a number of times. However, due to a combination of different natural and man-made elements, at the time of my visit I discovered an unfamiliar air about them - these places were not how I imagined, or how I had previously pictured them. In discovering this I realized these new and transient realities contrasted with my recollection, my imagination. My relationship with these environments had fundamentally changed. However, from a visual perspective, I felt certain things ‘fell in to place’ giving me a fresh perspective that allowed me to capture this new relationship.
I’ve been almost tempted to question the validity of the pictures, defining them as fictional, though of course by definition they are not. As a consequence perhaps this raises questions about our increasingly insecure relationship with our surroundings, how we are becoming more disorientated in the modern world; how each reality we experience is rapidly replaced by a new an unexpected one.Fine Arts, Photography2013 -
These images cover a small section of what is one of the most sublime coastlines on Earth - the West Coast of Cornwall. It’s a wild and weathered peninsular, dotted with ancient relics and 18th & 19th Century mining ruins. Now left to fend for themselves against the elements, these structures seem to have an almost harmonious visual relationship with the remote surroundings.Digital Photography, Fine Arts, Photography2013 -
This solo exhibition ran from 31st Oct - 22 Nov 2012 at ArtHere in Sydney. The selection of images is a distillation of much of my research; the stories you'll find on this site. The exhibition was curated by renowned Australian photographer and curator Sandy Edwards.
It gained much publicity including the Critics' Choice for Art in The Sydney Morning Herald.
This series of images continues my exploration of anthropogenic, post-natural landscapes - the constant state of flux that exists around us. In essence, I discover places I never knew existed and document evidence of surreal relationships between humans and their natural and man-made surroundings.
Artist Statement:
There is evidence of extreme alteration of the land, co-existence with nature, subversion of man-made environments and of nature’s retaliation.
The question can be asked - what is natural? Is it natural for humans to shape their surroundings? Is a pile of unearthed coal natural? Is a playground natural? This exhibition portrays all these aspects of the world as natural.
It was important to evaluate each scene without pre-conception, documenting with impartiality. I studied the evidence before me without drawing conclusions as to what has been, or what is to come.Fine Arts, Photography2013 -
Is There Anybody Out There?Fine Arts, Photography2012 -
Fragile Beast
The china clay mining industry in Cornwall, England, is a shadow of its former self. Once producing around 50% of the world’s supplies, the industry has been in decline for some time, with the workforce reduced by half in recent decades. Rising costs, and cheaper supplies from countries like Brazil have left many projects economically unviable. The environmental and social consequences are significant. And, despite the hope of site re-development (like the Eden Project), the physical and emotional scars remain. In recent years some spoil heaps have been re-generated, and some mining pits re-developed for recreational uses. However, many projects remain in limbo, awaiting a more favourable economic climate, or simply a formal retirement.
In my observations here I’m interested in how the man-made features of the environment have become a metaphor for the emotional scars experienced by a once thriving community; open wounds exposed to the elements, slowly healing, with any chance of a quick recovery long gone. Pyramid-like spoil heaps rise like shallow graves, with ‘nature’ trying to re-claim the ascendency, crudely camouflaging these ‘Cornish Alps’. In some areas wooden stakes - supporting tree saplings - dot the landscape like wooden crosses in a military cemetery, a poignant reminder of the natural cycle of life and death. When one considers the physical and emotional scars that dominate this region, it’s easy to note the irony that china clay is the primary ingredient in porcelain: used to create beautiful, decorative vases and ornaments. And yet, like the environment, theirs is also a fragile existence.Digital Photography, Photography2012 -
Industrial landscapes of AustraliaDigital Photography, Photography2012 -
Urban structuresDigital Photography, Photography2012 -
Aerial images over AustraliaDigital Photography, Photography2012 -
No Postcards Please - images from BaliDigital Photography, Photography2012 -
A one-off log exposure of some rock in a rising tide on the south coast in NSW. The blue tint is a colour shift on the Fuji Reala emulsion from the long exposure.Fine Arts, Photography2012