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Rings of history: Contemporary craft from historical timbers

Environment shifts

The following section explores issues reflecting the relevance of National Parks, conservation and sustainable forestry.

While the scientists working in 1930 were concerned with timber as an economic resource, for this diverse group of artists working in 2001 it is a resource for understanding the history and identity of a settler culture, for exploring spiritual connections between people and nature, or as evidence of a changing environment. The one thing that unites these two groups across the years is their mutual fascination with the qualities of the timber itself.

From the essay Economic Resource Becomes Cultural Exploration by Ruth Lane

  • Roy Schack, Qld,
  • A Forest of Seeded Boxes 2001
  • H100 x W100 x D100 mm - H30 x W30 x D30 mm
  • Red tweedie, bulls breath, pepper berry, canary sassafras, black myrtle, black tulip.

Each of these boxes is made with rare or extinct Queensland timbers. They are sealed capsules containing timber seeds for future forests ensuring the continuation of the species. The boxes reflect the value and importance of this natural resource.

  • Andrew Wood, Vic
  • Mallee 2001
  • H500 x W100 x D100 mm
  • Dwyer's mallee gum

To survive fire in the desert the mallee eucalyptus has developed a large swollen root called a lignotuber. After a severe burn a number of new shoots sprout from this underground food store forming a cluster of trunks that typifies this group of trees. This form reflects the growth of the mallee tree. The thin rods will twist and warp as the work travels around the country, responding to the changing heat and humidity levels.

  • Damien Wright, Vic
  • Chain
  • H100 x W260 x D150 mm
  • Murray River willow

The chain concealed in this box is a symbol of connection. As a tool, it has been central to the process of logging. Its interlocking rings give it strength; its use by humans gives it power. As an emblem, the chain represents the indivisible relationship between objects of destruction, the inherent beauty of the Australian timber and the difficulty we Australians have in coming to terms with our past.

  • Peter Lowe WA
  • Rain Dance 2001
  • H40 x Ø300 mm
  • Broome bloodwood, red morrel, pine banksia, western woody pear, allocasuarina fraseriana

The exotic bloom created by Peter Lowe is a fictitious creation that reflects the rich diversity of the native forest of Western Australia. Inspired by native flora this work combines all the pieces of rare timber received by the artist in a celebration of our indigenous forests. Like the rich floral carpets that bloom and thrive after the rainy season, so this work reflects the cycle of growth and maturation of the native forests.

  • Kevin Perkins, TAS,
  • Seen through Other Eyes 2001
  • H240 x W1750 x D490 mm
  • Horizontal, horizontal (from own collection).

This timber is found in old growth Tasmanian rain forests. A characteristic feature of this slow growing species is that, unlike other timbers, it does not loose its bark as it dries. Combining samples of horizontal from the Dadswell collection with samples from his own collection Kevin Perkins draws attention to the features of the timber an artist looks for compared to those sought by foresters when assessing timber value.

  • Matthew Harding, ACT
  • Whole 2001
  • H130 x W130 x D50 mm
  • Tulip satinwood

State borders look like badly drawn fence lines in an oddly shaped paddock. Matthew Harding has used barbed wire circle to represent the struggle of working the land. The barbs are there to remind us that the future shaping of Australia must consider cultural and environmental issues alongside those of commerce and economics.

End

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