Eurotipodes Bucolic Wonderland 1
Archival photomontage on cotton rag paper (edition 1 of 7) 100 x 84 cm
$ 5,600 (framed)
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A multilayered photomontage, is composed of reimagined imagery manipulated and gathered from historical archives and contemporary sources. ‘Eurotipodes’, is a term I created to express my feelings about the Eurocentric interpretation of the world, the notion that the Northern Hemisphere is the ‘right’ way up and we hang upside down giddily suspended in our opposite ‘Antipodes’. The interaction and placement of creatures invite the viewer to reconsider assumptions: about what counts as “normal” orientation, perspective, and which histories are foregrounded or marginalized. This work questions colonial history, representation, mythmaking, ecology, extinction, introduced species and ecological changes. I use flora and fauna, emblematic, native and introduced to reflect environmental concerns: how landscapes have been changed, species lost, or ecological balance disrupted. The orientation of the iconic horse, upside down, inverted, is not just metaphorical, but a device to destabilize comfortable narratives. References: A direct north general view of Sydney Cove ... 1794 attributed to Thomas Watling 'Kangaroos in a Landscape’ John Lewin 1819 Henry Stone and his Durham ox by Thomas Flintoff 1887