This work is an exploration of the banksia understory and surrounding woodlands at Bundanon. My research has connected me to plants, people, and the Aboriginal cultural knowledge, of woodlands and ecologies.
My focus is on cultural burning - in particular, smoke and a cool fire at the right time of year applied to the banksia understory - which ultimately results in plant regrowth. Long term, my interest lies in which plants grow backand the health of the woodland as a whole.
Along the way I have chosen to use porcelain - a new material choice for me. It has allowed me to explore clay, pigment, fire, and the plasticity of form, and to combine this with my knowledge of metal. By combining many materials, I ask the viewer to look again at specific plants and see their freshness, their new growth, and their extraordinary form.
I am passionate about understanding how to restore our surrounding woodlands in all their variety. I believe that Aboriginal cultural knowledge should be supported, encouraged, acknowledged and implemented as a central body of knowledge in this challenge.
With thanks to: the Mudjingaalbaraga fire group, Noel Webster, and family and the Bundanon AIR support team.
