Over the Garden Fence and in the Bush 2006/2007

Exhibited at the Margaret River Education Campus, Margaret River, WA in 2006 and in 2007 at the Lake Grace Regional Artspace, Lake Grace, WA, ‘Over the Garden Fence’ is a metaphor for the house yard plants that escape from the garden and become uncontrollable pests in native bushland and farmland, choking out less vigorous endemic species and interfering with agriculture.

The Ludlow Tuart Forrest, near Busselton a national park, the only remaining Tall Tuart Forrest in the world, one of the rarest ecosystems left on earth. Valuable.

It should be pristine, cared for, valued by government, and appreciated by community you would think, but this is not so. It is overrun with garden plants; arum lilies and bridal creeper are marching through the undergrowth.  There is corrugated iron and rubbish dumped in places, all visible within a short stroll off the road.  Why are we allowing this to happen?

“Weeds made of wire” is a simple way to describe this body of work, I have used rope-like knitted forms to show how strong and tough these plants are and how hard they are to eradicate, sort of like pieces of wire on the farm, you can find them everywhere if you are not careful with the cuttings!

While being very sensuous in form, I wanted the sculptures convey a sinister and menacing manner, reflecting the environmental problem they have become. Arum Lilies, Bridal Creeper and Morning Glory (Convolvulus) plants are all vigorous growing, they are attractive and perhaps this is one of the reasons they have become widespread. People desire them in their gardens, and they grow really well, too well , then need to be divided or dug out and wherever these cuttings are dumped they start growing.”

This was my BA (Curtin) graduation work and the subsequent exhibitions at Margaret River and Lake Grace. The photos are a combination of the two exhibitions.

Please click on the thumbnail below to view the larger photo.