Set in stone (2022)
Inkjet print, pigment inks on cotton archival photo paper, 594mm x 420mm & 210mm x 148mm
Erosion
Sandstone is the bedrock of Sydney. For over 220 million years, it has been shaped and sculptured by water and the environment. The rocky outcrops that define the harbour foreshore served as fishing spots, meeting places and shelter for Aboriginal people for thousands of years.
Following colonisation, many of these outcrops were cut back and quarried. This accelerated reshaping of the geological structure demonstrates a mindset that views land as simply a commodity that serves the landowner’s needs.
This series of works explores the removal of sandstone from around the Sydney Harbour foreshore between Yurong Point and Pyrmont.
A stimulus for the work is a 10km walk I carried out that traces the cuts made in the sandstone, witnesses how the stone has been reused and, in the case of Barangaroo Reserve, where it has been returned.
Erode (2022)
Two suspended pieces of sandstone with single channel video (continuous loop, no sound)
Remove (2022)
Digital survey of where sandstone has been removed from the harbour foreshore.
Inkjet print, pigment inks on cotton archival photo paper, 9 prints @ 400mm x 400mm
Reuse (2022)
Digital survey of sandstone reuse around the harbour foreshore, 1816–2022.
Inkjet print, pigment inks on cotton archival photo paper, 9 prints @ 400mm x 400mm
Return (2022)
Digital survey of sandstone that has been returned to the harbour foreshore at Barangaroo Reserve.
Inkjet print, pigment inks on cotton archival photo paper, 9 prints @ 400mm x 400mm