‘Shoalhaven Visions’ artist’s Field Study in the Upper Shoalhaven River catchment, Part of the Two Fires festival, in Braidwood NSW.

Field Study Coordinators: Fran Ifould & Cecile Galiazzo.

For this project I facilitated a sci+art field study in collaboration with Cecile Galiazzo in partnership with and for exhibition at The Two Fires Festival of Art & Activism, opened by John Wolseley, renowned Australian Land Artist.

The ‘Shoalhaven Visions’ Artist Field Study is an environment and art crossover. The program involved commitment by participants to two or four day field trips over the summer of 2010, then exhibiting the responding artwork during the Two Fires Festival, Braidwood, held early April, 2011.

The exhibition received wide exposure, being held in the historic National Theatre, center for the Braidwood community with an academic forum in the prominent venue during the Two fires Festival. This is a national event held biannually in Braidwood, home of the poet and activist, Judith Wright.

The Two Fires theme “Art and Activism” was explored visually by participating artists. Within this context they were informed by various members of the local community who were knowledgeable regarding certain aspects relative to the study. These include catchment management officers, farmers, botanists, aquatic researchers and indigenous leaders.

Focus of field time was in the riparian zone, corridors of natural vegetation for migration of species. These riparian zones have the highest level of species use in the vicinity. They also act as a filter, pulling insects and sediment into the ecosystem.

Braidwood is home to several farmers using Holistic Practices of agriculture. These include innovative approaches, both on the paddock and in the area of the drainage system to the adjacent Shoalhaven and Mongarlowe Rivers.

The award winning study of the Macquarie Perch in the Mongarlowe River, and its threat through environmental changes was available and was worth consideration as a topic for development within artworks. The adjacent Monga National Park, in which the Mongarlowe River rises, was also included in the field study. Here old growth stands of Plumwood trees and tree fern forests were wonderful inspiration to environmental artists interested in recording a message of “catchment health equals River Health” with great success.