A U S T R A L I A , T H E L A N D C L E A R I N G N A T I O N
HSC Visual Arts Major Body of Work | Year 12, 2018
The Final Exhibition.
Australia the Land Clearing Nation investigates a massive environmental issue, land clearing. Australia has the fifth highest rate of land clearing in the world and around 5000km2 of bushland and advanced regrowth are cleared annually. I investigate the impacts of the environmental impact on the Australian native plant species. The Australian native species I have chosen are; the Waratah, the Banksia Serrata, the Eucalyptus Globulus, the Flowering Gum, the Sturt Desert Pea and the Banksia Pod. By incorporating these 6 Australian native species together, I can interpret and represent the best of our Australian plant species. Influenced by Cressida Campbell, Pip Spiro, Brian Robinson and Billy Missi, they all showcase various techniques and or innovative ideas that I would like to convey in my Body of Work. Using the medium of lino I will be able to express each of these unique species. By using the technique of mark making on the lino, I can look deeper into the patterns each of the native species have to offer. This is something I would like to emphasis in my artwork. The lines surrounding the plant species, show the domino effect of land clearing on the environment. The use of the cut out Australian native plant species and the green city maps in their place represents, just how quickly the natural environment is replaced by the man-made environment. The final green map shows what some parts of our country look like and what the future of the Australian environment will look like – urbanised. The green trucks and machinery below the 6 main lino prints, are used to emphasise the process of land clearing techniques which are used to destroy the Australian environment to make way for the growing population. The singular truck is used to show how in the future, there will be no more environment or plants to take away if we continue land clearing at the rate we are.
