Situated 1200kms west of Sydney, the Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station sits on Barkinji land. It is an imposing and harsh environment but not without beauty. However, it is by no means unspoilt land. There is clear evidence of long-term colonial-settler damaged and interference. Since the 1960s, the site has been used for research, continuously prodded, probed and analysed. The abused land is now observed and monitored to see if it will eventually fix itself.

Starting from a predetermined GPS waypoint in the remotest location I could access, I walked 1km due East. Every 100 metres, I took a handful of soil as a physical sample of land.

This site-responsive body of work questions why, as settlers, we look at the land as something to measure, test, value and exploit. The work creates a tension that I felt was important to lean into – not to be disrespectful or provocative, but to acknowledge my need to understand better what it means to be on country.