The Trees Endure, The Land has Memory | Exhibition

An immersive series of photography, created in DjaDja Wurrung country, Hepburn Regional Park & the Wombat State Forest. 2021 - Present. A series emerging out of the global pandemic. “The Trees endure, the land has memory”, is a study of place. Through daily wanderings in the forests and waterways of Hepburn & Daylesford, I began to discover metaphors, to the many themes of struggle & reinvention, so vivid in art history, so present with the backdrop surrounding our consciousness at the time. Though the region reveals rich and varied histories, ancient indigenous connection to land, colonial legacies & the scars of gold mining etched into the landscape, this body of work represents the landscape interpreted as experienced firsthand. There are contrasting sentiments, from the claustrophobic perception of restriction post pandemic to the excitement & freedom of exploring deep into new and mystical landscapes. The liberation of finally being “En Plein Air”. The series moves beyond historical documentation, offering an intimate & painterly exploration of personal connection and resilience, which blurs the boundaries of mediums of visual expression. There is a noticeable scarcity of human presence in this series, focusing solely on the land’s narrative - the sun rising each day and lifting the landscape from its darkness. At times the camera offers constricted perspectives or “windows” into the forest, the penultimate image delivers a final sense of closure & reconnecting with an infinite landscape. Through this project I uncovered deeper ancestral footprints to this region, which evoked an intangible sense of being “exactly where I need to be”. The notion of “wandering” and then “homecoming” resonating. Through this series I begin to reveal the enduring connection to "place," a concept that transcends mere physicality & delves into the spiritual and historical ties that bind us to the land.