PHOENIX TREES
Artist Statement
Although we have a long way to go in a very short time to successfully transition to a sustainable world, I think it is worth acknowledging how far we have come. From the dense energy of coal being the primary source of power to the flowering of a plethora of alternative and cleaner energy sources, the deep change in understanding and values has happened within my lifetime.
This artwork encompasses one of the many new approaches to the use of resources that we are now embracing: lifecycle understanding. The trees have been sourced from a native plant rescue business. They are local to my environment. I have handmade their containers from a sustainable material (wool) for the duration of this show and at the end they and their containers will create a garden at a Headspace. There are 58 plants to signify each year of my life, on the understanding that is one of the ways to re-capture the carbon we have released (if every person on the planet could do this, we would be in good shape).
The lifecycle of this artwork would not be a feature without the paradigm shift that is taking place in the world.
CHOICES
Site and Materials
I chose a site in front of the collapsed wharf to mirror the collapse of old industrial paradigms. The wool I used for the felt pots was coarse, grey and shaped to resemble the gnarled wood of the wharf, with tips of spring green wool to reflect the saplings in the pots
PROCESS
Sourcing and Disposing
As an integral part of the concept of life-cycle awareness, I sourced the 58 saplings from the Blue Mountains Wildplant Rescue nursery in Katoomba.After the close of the exhibition, all the saplings will create a garden at Headspace, also in Katoomba.