Debris
Debris, 2003-23
Four plein air toned gelatin silver film shadowgrams each in a Mylar envelope. Unique objects.
I came across the rotting carcass of this Western Grey Kangaroo (Macropus fuliginosus) in Mallee scrub moments before intoxicated recreational shooters in a hurtling SUV unaware of my presence shone their spotlight my way. Not roadkill or shot—it had evidently died from natural causes—I thought how odd the ambivalence towards kangaroos was in Australia. Its stature, strength, adaptability, grace and speed are celebrated. But in a conquered land they are reminders of what remains alien, inconvenient and untamed in antipodean nature: favoured quarry for those bent on suppressing the indigenous. Nearby, on another day I found a scatter of sun-bleached animal bones, some macropod, others bovine, some unidentified. On nights that followed, I arranged and recorded their shadows on other sheets of film. Debris.
Preparing subject for ground level nocturnal shadowgram exposure, Meringur Flora & Fauna Reserve, Victoria, Australia, 2003
Preparing subject for ground level nocturnal shadowgram exposure, Meringur Flora & Fauna Reserve, Victoria, Australia, 2003
Preparing scaffold for ground level nocturnal shadowgram exposure, Meringur Flora & Fauna Reserve, Victoria, Australia, 2003