Tessellated Landscapes’ incorporates a number of projects that merge my interests in contemporary art, ecology, and science and draws on my research about how tree species disperse across terrains. In the hilly region where my work is grounded, landscapes are often viewed from high vantage points or through Google Earth imaging. This perspective influences the visual and conceptual focus of the ‘Tessellated Landscapes’, which connect creative visualisation with data about land management and ecological patterns. The texture of native vegetation overlaid with the tessellation of clearing, fencing and revegetation is visually captured by punch-needle and rug making techniques.
‘Sound Coat’ and ‘Spats’ are wearable works created for performative projects referencing acoustic field-recording in natural environments. They were worn in my community engagement event ‘Defashion Dungog’ and exhibited in ‘Work of Art Showcase’ in Orange where they emitted forest sounds. The coat’s panels are constructed from reclaimed canvas panels shaped to resemble property boundaries and fragmented landscapes created from rural extractive activities. The panels are adorned with ‘tessellated landscapes’, isolated ‘islands’, some of which are strategic pockets that hold sound recording equipment. They are created using punch-needle embroidery technique with upcycled threads and wool. These textured ‘micro carpets’ mimic aerial views of dense vegetation, with their sharp-edged, irregular shapes created by property lines imposed by colonial imaginings blind to ecological structures and cultural traditions.
‘Spats’ cover boots and usually protect the wearer from nature, however the punch-needle surface of these spats are likely to collect moss, sticks, and dirt when worn in the landscape.
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Wearable ‘Tessellated Landscapes’.
• currently working on a large sculptural representation of landscape – to be continued….