the lines we draw to define
wetland mud (Boggy Pond, Wairarapa Moana) and oil paint on paper, 2000x1250mm
wetland mud (Boggy Pond, Wairarapa Moana) and oil paint on paper, 2000x1250mm
The creation of the lines we draw to define involved collaborating with the Wairarapa Moana wetlands by placing the painting's substrate in the wetland mud and then responding to the marks left behind. This action acknowledges the agency of the wetland itself, challenging the Western colonial separations of culture and nature, and emphasizing the importance of human and non-human collaboration in ecological regeneration and conservation. The painting portrays an aerial landscape of the wetland and adjacent paddocks to illustrate drawn borders that define and limit the "wildness" of the wetland. Through this depiction, the lines we draw to define prompts contemplation about the societal constructs and boundaries that influence our perception and interaction with the more-than-human.
the lines we draw to define signified a shift in my practice at the time toward striving to make works that engaged more directly with the environment in their concepts, processes, and outcomes. By actively involving the natural environment in the creation of the artwork, I seek to foster a deeper connection between art and nature, encouraging viewers to reconsider their relationship with the ecological world.