to be installed in the Watermall Cafe in the mid-2000s. Photo: Natasha Harth
Allegorical representations of migratory species
Since the early 2000s, I have been creating installations featuring motifs of migratory fauna. The coordinators of the Starter Space program, at the then Queensland Art Gallery, identified me whilst I was making 1000 papercut moths for the composition A Change in Frequency. It responded to a mass migration of the insect in North Queensland. Later in the decade, I started to address concerns over H5N1 avian influenza, and the propositioned of shooting migratory birds as they crossed Australian borders.
Offshore Shore Processing was cut in the mid-2000s as a reaction to the Howard Government’s immigration policies. It is part of a series depicting roosters interacting with ducks. The former may be considered a symbol of the government. Papercuts of ducks are thought to increase fertility. They are a traditional gift for newly wedded couples in China.I use them as a symbol for populations.
collected by the Art Gallery of South Australia
Whilst living in Mackay, I became familiar with the Wandering Whistling Duck. In addition to northern parts of Queensland, they may also be found in South-east Asia and the Pacific. The inspiration for this particular artwork was the arrival of 42 asylum seekers from Western Papua New Guinea in 2006.
During the late 2010s, I became interested in the role migration plays in the evolution of distinct cultures. One of the species I used to investigate the concept is the heron. When blown off course during meteorological events, they seek suitable habitats for breeding as opposed to resuming their migratory routes. This behaviour has resulted in the diversification of heron into innumerable subspecies.
I am presently investigating how migrants of all varieties enrich the grounds they inhabit. This copper composition represents the distribution of water pepper by sandpiper curlew. It was expanded with the support of a Chey Foundation Fellowship, awarded by the Western Sydney University in 2024.
