Bundanon
June 2023
All Photography by Kenneth Lambert unless specified.
Field Notes
I am on Dharawal and Durga country, where light refracts in all directions as the ceaseless song of the Shoalhaven River resonates in my senses. Here, time adopts a suspended rhythm, weaving nature and memory together, rendering the ephemeral tangible.
My intention at Bundanon was to explore the theme of displacement, a recurring motif in my artistic journey. As I contemplate the landscape, with its ever-shifting riverbanks, meandering sands, and steadfast eucalyptus sentinels clinging tenaciously to the earth, I view it through a unique temporal lens. The tranquil surface unveils nature’s dynamic interplay as water and wind choreograph the ever-transforming terrain, uprooting trees from their anchorage. The landscape embodies the relentless, violent beauty that defines its character. This notion of displacement, of matter, moved and reshaped by the river’s current, catalyses my creative process.
My time at Bundanon has laid the foundation for two interconnected artistic endeavours: ‘Adrift,’ an immersive drawing installation, and ‘Augmented Intervals,’ an ongoing surface painting series dedicated to unveiling the elusive facets of memory and time.
Adrift was realised within the Articulate project space, an artist-run space, a few weeks after my residency, specifically reflecting my experience at Bundanon. Presented within the broader exhibition titled ‘Draw,’ this installation aimed to transcend conventional drawing boundaries, offering an immersive and visceral assault on the senses.
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With the intent to express the observed, drawing becomes an act of physicality; the body in action projects blackened sand onto the white walls and floors of the white cube. I envisioned rain eroding the soil, unearthing grand trees from their lofty sanctuaries. The deep valley winds conspired to translocate decades of growth, fragmenting, merging, and rearranging.
Photo by Yandel Walton
​​Simultaneously, branches breached their confines, carried by the gusts toward the boundless ocean’s embrace. There, washed up on a beach, time further augmented their materiality, awaiting discovery. Each piece of driftwood charted a distinctive, singular narrative.
This collection of found objects amassed through beachcombing and riverside wanderings at Bundanon resonates in my narrative, spanning from the southern tip of Africa to the eastern shores of Australia. Like solitary driftwood at sea, I’ve grappled with questions of purpose and mourned the loss of connection.
Augmented Intervals, still in development, invites contemplation. The term, borrowed from music and physics, signifies the diminutive spaces between defined tones or moments in time. In this reflective body of work, I continue to experiment with fragmented materials, infusing physicality and scale into my evolving practice, which encompasses expanded painting, film, and digital video.
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Through Augmented Intervals, I aim to delve deeper into my narrative, excavating the vulnerabilities and enduring resilience that define contemporary existence. The outcome is a series of raw, exposed three-dimensional surfaces, their scars and healing marks serving as metaphors for the psychological tumult and resolution we all encounter on our journeys.
My time at Bundanon remains pivotal in shaping these twin endeavours. The displacement and adaptation witnessed in the natural world here have seeped into my work, enriching my understanding of displacement as a creative force shaping the land and our memories and experiences. I’ve found solace and inspiration at the crossroads of art and nature, and I aspire to share this profound connection with others through my work.
Experimental drawing with sand and ink.
Experimental painting