I see upon the land a dichotomy, where everything native acts in support of everything that is not. Introduced humans bringing introduced crops, and the landscape is changed for better or worse. A constant push and pull exists: a relentless cycle through which humans seek to conquer and nature seeks to reclaim. Remnants remain while time shifts the balance of power.
The word ‘native’ refers to that which has origins in a particular place: that which was here before, which may or may not remain after. It is a term used by potters to refer to clay dug from the ground, from the location at which time and weather have acted upon rock. Native clay is my material of choice, as it is of this place. It is malleable through process, the permanence of which I choose to allow time and weather to play their role, in recognition that this is the order of nature.
Winner, Non-Acquisitive Award, Artentwine Sculpture Biennial, 2016.
