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Introduction to this resource
This resource is designed to introduce teachers and students to the MCA exhibition In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, 21 August – 31 October
2010. It provides an overview of the themes of the exhibition, and profiles seven of the exhibiting artists. In each artist’s profile, you will find quotes
from the artist, biographical information and a description of their work on exhibition at the MCA. At the end of each artist’s profile, points for
discussion and focus questions are provided under the heading Thinking About it and art making activities are suggested under the heading Making
it. A glossary and list of references are included to assist with further research; glossary terms appear in bold throughout the text and can be found at
the end of the document.
A catalogue is available for this exhibition from the MCA Store, and may be used in conjunction with the In the Balance: Art for a
Changing World education resource. Visit the MCA website for full details of offsite events and programs, www.mca.com.au
Contents
Introduction to this resource
Curriculum Connections
Themes in the exhibition
Artist Profiles
• Badger Bates
• Lauren Berkowitz
• Diego Bonetto
• Nici Cumpston
• Janet Laurence
• James Newitt
• Jeanne van Heeswijk
Glossary
Acknowledgements
Cover:
Andrea Bowers
Step It Up Activist, Sand Key Reef, Key West, Florida
Part of North America’s Only Remaining Coral Barrier Reef (detail) 2009
coloured pencil on paper
56.52 x 76.2 cm
Courtesy the artist and Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York and Susanne Vielmetter Los Angeles Projects
Image courtesy the artist, Andrew Kreps Gallery, New York and Suzanne Vielmetter Los Angeles
Projects © the artist
2

Curriculum Connections
In the Balance: Art for a Changing World provides students with the opportunity to undertake cross-disciplinary study through the
artworks on exhibition. Below are a list of key curriculum areas for each learning stage and some suggestions on appropriate content.
Early Stage 1 – Stage 3 (K-Year 6)
Creative Arts
English
HSIE
Science and Technology
Stage 4 & 5 (Year 7 - 10)
Aboriginal Studies
Australian Geography
Design and Technology
English
Photographic & Digital Media
Science
Visual Arts
Visual Design
Stage 6 (Year 11 – 12)
Aboriginal Studies
Biology
English
Earth and Environmental Science
Geography
Photography, Video & Digital Imaging
Society and Culture
Visual Arts
Visual Design
ESL/NESB/CALD
Developing a visual arts vocabulary
Oral and written responses
Cultural identity and other issues in the visual arts
3

Themes in the exhibition
In the Balance: Art for a Changing World presents a variety of works by Australian and selected international artists who respond to contemporary
ecological issues in their art practice. This major exhibition is distinctive in its curatorial approach to the subject of the environment, as it not only
reflects the diversity of environmental concerns prevailing both within and beyond Australia today, but it also showcases the many different ways
in which contemporary artists are responding to these issues. Importantly, the works selected for this exhibition are not simply engaging with the
landscape, or responding aesthetically to nature, but are made by artists who denote a more ‘political imperative’ in their practice.
The exhibition encompasses a variety of media, including sculpture, installation, print making, photography, film and video. In the Balance also
features a number of site-specific and commissioned works, performances and projects, many of which extend their reach beyond the MCA galleries
and spill over into a wide range of public realms, including the MCA front lawn, publicly accessible areas of the central business district, urban
precincts within Greater Sydney, and even virtual community environs like Facebook.
Listed below are some of the key environmental themes and issues that are explored within the exhibition:
• Landscape
• Sustainability
• Waste and recycling
• Community engagement
• Urban regeneration
• Participatory practices
• Water conservation
• Indigenous approaches to conservation and natural resources
• Clean energy; fossil fuels and their alternatives
• Environmental politics
The following sections will explore some of these themes in greater detail in relation to the work of seven key artists of the nearly 40 featured in
In the Balance: Art for a Changing World. These artists are;
• Badger Bates
• Lauren Berkowitz
• Diego Bonetto
• Nici Cumpston
• Janet Laurence
• James Newitt
• Jeanne van Heeswijk
4

Badger Bates
Badger Bates Mission Mob and Bend Mob 1950s (detail) 2009
linocut print 57.5 x 90.5 cm (sheet) Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families,
2009
Image courtesy and © the artist
5

Badger Bates
We did that (traditional art practice) then, but today now, we’re into recycling. White people and black people go pick up rubbish over there; they
(white people) will make art work and they’ll call it waste art or something. And our two races, you know, Aboriginal and European, we are doing the
same thing, but we don’t realise it. We are doing the same thing by picking up junk over here and making something over here, but none of us realise
we’re doing the same thing, but we are! 1 Badger Bates, 2010
Born 1947, Darling River, Wilcannia, New South Wales. Lives and Works Wilcannia, New South Wales.
People: Barkindji; Language: Barkindji 2
William Brian (Badger) Bates was born on the Darling River at Wilcannia in 1947, and is of both Aboriginal and European descent. As a child, Badger
was raised by his mother’s extended family and his grandmother, Granny Moysey, a well-known and knowledgeable Barkindji matriarch who spoke
several Aboriginal languages. Throughout his childhood, Badger travelled the country with his grandmother, learning the language, history and
culture of various Barkindji groups, and from a young age was taught how to carve traditional designs onto emu eggs and wooden artefacts. 3 Many
years later, Badger would encounter similar designs in the rock engravings and paintings at the Mutawintji National Park, and in wooden artefacts
at the Australian Museum in Sydney – ‘I just felt proud in my mind [that] I knew it through what Granny taught me’. 4 Now an Elder of the Barkindji
people and a highly influential cultural broker, Badger is an authoritative figure on the subject of identity, culture and stories of the land through
specific Barkindji designs. His artistic practice is diverse, ranging from sculpture, metalwork and printmaking to carved works in wood, stone, shell and
emu eggs, and embodies a distinctive blend of traditional, historical and contemporary cultural conventions. He was also the Senior Archaeological
Officer for the National Parks and Wildlife Service in Broken Hill for over twenty years, before retiring in 2005.
The degradation of the Darling River, or Paaka, in western NSW, and the effects of drought, erosion and pollution are issues of great concern to
Badger. The three linocut prints featured in this exhibition each tell an intricate story pertaining to important cultural sites and the artist’s own
lived history and deeply personal connections to the Paaka. Mission Mob and Bend Mob, Wilcannia 1950s (2009) represents both a geographically
accurate and culturally specific topography of the river landscape near Wilcannia, consistent with Badger’s upbringing from the 1950s. Whilst the
colonial aspects of the landscape, such as the mission houses, the school and demarcated roads carry immense historical references in themselves,
both on a personal and national level, they also serve as a stark and rigid linear contrast to the flowing lines of the river and organic motifs of the
trees and creeks. The impact of colonisation on the landscape can also be seen in the wavering lines that delineate the opposite side of the riverbank,
which Badger includes here as a reminder of the considerable effects that pastoral activities have had on the erosion of the land and the silting of the
MacIntyre River
river water.
Paroo River
Warrego River
Culgoa River
Boggabilla
Toomelah
Bourke
Broken Hill
Wilcannia
Darling River
NSW
SA
Lachlan River
Lake Bonney
Cowra
Sydney
Adelaide
Mildura
Hay
Murrumbidgee River
Wagga Wagga
VIC
Murray River
Albury
Map of Darling River and Wilcannia,
New South Wales
1 Author’s interview with the Artist, July 2010
2 Sometimes also referred to as Paarkindji or Paarkantji
3 Lorraine Gibson, ‘’We don’t do dots – ours is lines’ – Asserting a Barkindji Style, Oceania, vol. 78, 2008, p.285
4 ibid, p.285
6

Badger Bates
Iron Pole Bend, Darling River, Wilcannia 2007
linocut print
42.5 x 56 cm (sheet)
Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased with funds provided by the Coe and Mordant families, 2009
Image courtesy and © the artist
The bend in the river at the lower right-hand corner of Mission Mob and Bend Mob 1950s is depicted again in greater detail in the work, Iron Pole
Bend, Darling River, Wilcannia (2007). This work directly illustrates different aspects of environmental changes in the area, such as the need for water
and rain, along with the area’s natural inhabitants. On the left-hand side of the print, the skeletons of dead fish indicate the dry conditions of Lake
Wytuycka, which hasn’t had water for a long time, and the body lines of the two Ngatyi (Rainbow Serpents) represent the serpent’s underground
thoroughfare from one river bend to another (the end-points of which are indicated by the two Ngatyi depicted in Mission Mob and Bend Mob
1950s). 5 The stories contained within these works not only articulate a deeply felt connection to the landscape; they also reflect a continuing
relationship that we all share with the nature and culture of our land. Through his art, Badger continues on his path as the Paaka’s authorial voice
and environmental guardian to inform and inspire an ever-expanding audience.
5 Author’s interview with the Artist, July 2010
7

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
Take a close look at Badger’s picture of Iron Pole bend, Darling River,
Wilcannia. How many animals can you see Can you name all of the
animals Out of these animals, which ones need water in order to
survive
(3-6)
What effects can drought and erosion have on the landscape How
does this affect the animals that live on the land and in the lakes
and rivers Badger tells a story of an Irish friend and neighbour from
Wilcannia who likes goats. Badger has hidden an image of a goat in his
linocut print Mission Mob and Bend Mob, Wilcannia 1950s. Can you find
it (Hint: you may have to turn your head sideways!)
Making it
Using white pencils on black paper, draw a picture of your street or
school from an aerial or ‘bird’s eye’ view. Try using different kinds
of lines – wavy, straight, thick, thin, dotted or dashed – to represent
different things like roads, nearby water or tracks that you might walk or
ride along. You might also like to include a key or legend to identify the
patterns or symbols you use.
Two of Badger’s prints tell the sky story of the Kaalthi (Emu) in the Milky
Way. The Barkindji people know whether the emu is laying eggs just by
reading the constellations in the stars – ‘when the emu’s head sticks
straight up, that means it’s not laying, but when the emu’s head drops
down, that means it’s trying to hide itself when it sits on the nest’. 6
Create a short story based on the emu in the work Emu Sky (2008).
What happens when the emu eggs hatch
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
The main road depicted in Mission Mob and Bend Mob, Wilcannia 1950s
(2009) ‘represents the road that many Aboriginal children were taken
away on by the Aboriginal Protection Board, which some returned on
years later, and symbolically, the path for those still trying to find their
way home’. 7 Research the history of Australia’s Stolen Generation. How
does this affect the way you interpret Badger’s visual depiction of his
childhood memories
(10-12)
Think about the different methods and tools that are required for
carving into stone, wood, linoleum and emu eggs. How does this affect
your understanding of Badger’s practice
The practice of printmaking revolves around the design of positive and
negative space. How do you think Badger’s childhood knowledge of
carving and his subsequent sculptural practice as an artist might have
influenced his development into printmaking
Making it
Use your knowledge of your local environment as the basis for a body
of work in lino. Collect photos and maps as both a visual reference and
source of material. Use a computer-editing program, such as Adobe
Photoshop, Gimp or Google SketchUp or to adjust the contrast on your
design before transferring it to lino.
Badger utilises lino printing in his practice which is primarily the removal
of negative space from the lino tile and a print of the positive space that
remains. Explore other forms of printmaking to document your personal
history. Experiment with the process of monoprinting and collography,
which is the opposite process to lino, where you build up the printed
surface, rather than remove it as a relief process. How will your choice
of materials and process reflect your conceptual ideas
6 Author’s interview with the Artist, July 2010
7 Keith Munro, ‘Badger Bates’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, exhibition
catalogue, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.26
8

Lauren Berkowitz
Lauren Berkowitz
Bags 1994 (remade 2010) (detail)
plastic dimensions variable
Installation view, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
Image courtesy and © the artist
9

Lauren Berkowitz
Born 1965, Melbourne, Victoria. Lives and Works Melbourne, Victoria.
The work [Sustenance (2010)] incorporates indigenous plants that are adaptable and suited to our harsh climate, as well as introduced species that
must be nurtured, watered and controlled, and [that in the] long-term are not sustainable; as our weather becomes more extreme, also included are
cactus plants that are self-sustaining in climatically harsh conditions. 8 Lauren Berkowitz, 2010
Lauren Berkowitz is a prominent Melbourne-based installation artist, primarily concerned with creating ephemeral and site-specific works made
produced various recycled materials. Since the early 1990s, Berkowitz has accumulated and utilised a range of objects from nature and everyday
modern living to create sculptures and installations intended for gallery exhibition, museum displays and public spaces. Her works are often
temporal, or constructed only for the duration of their display, and are composed of consumer waste materials and botanical detritus either
associated with, or collected within, the immediate locality in which they are displayed.
For Berkowitz, the ever-changing modern-day landscape is both a source of inspiration and a resource for her art-making. Collecting
is an important aspect of her practice and each individual work represents the fruits of extensive labour and research. By collating,
assembling and re-arranging a combination of found objects, both natural and
human-made, the artist not only participates in an active engagement with the world
around us, but also instigates an ecological imperative in her art making practice,
transforming proverbial environmental issues into tangible acts of regeneration.
For this exhibition, Berkowitz delivers her distinctively ecological take on site-specificity and
the wastage perpetuated by humanity. Bags (1994/2010), is an expanded reconstruction of a
previous sculptural installation, made again expressly for display in the MCA galleries. For this
piece, Berkowitz enlisted the help of volunteers, including MCA staff, to collect the 3000 recycled
plastic shopping bags required to realise the installation. Attached to two parallel frameworks of
netting, and suspended mid-gallery space to create a gigantic aerated corridor, this work invites
viewers to pass through a vast wall of discarded waste and physically comprehend the enormity of
the environmental consequence to our collective everyday actions. Minimalist in its approach and
recyclable in its aesthetic 9 , the work’s temporality forces us to realise that, at the conclusion of
the exhibition, these temporarily re-valued objects of beauty are destined to rejoin the (re)cycle of
our mass-produced plastic consumables.
Sustenance (2010) is a new installation project commissioned by the MCA specifically for this
exhibition. The project began many months ago, with Berkowitz undertaking extensive research
into the edible and medicinal qualities of various indigenous plants, succulents, and European
and Asian herbs and vegetables found in New South Wales. 10 The artist then recruited a number
of school students, community groups and green-thumbed individuals to assist in growing a
collection of potted plants. In total, the artist presents 650 plants, with 300 on exhibition at any
one time. What we see in the galleries is at once the material realisation of the project in the
gallery space, both inside and out, and the ongoing cultivation of the plants as living organisms.
Assembled along a low table made from recycled timber, and rotated on a regular basis from the
Above, from top to botom:
Plants being grown in preparation for Sustenance (detail),
2010
The Erskineville Community Garden, 52-54 Erskineville Rd,
Erskineville.
MCA Level 3 terrace, these miscellaneous specimens have been replanted into provisional pots generated from recycled plastic bottles and containers.
Drawing inspiration from an ever-maturing environmental consciousness and exploring the artistic potential of cultural sustainability, Berkowitz’
installations resonate meaningfully within a contemporary landscape of change and complexity. After the closure of the exhibition, the plants
included in Sustenance will be given back to the growers, schools and community members who nurtured them in preparation for the exhibition.
8 Lauren Berkowitz cited in Rachel Kent, ‘Lauren Berkowitz’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.30
9 Ibid.
10 Ibid
10

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
Firstly, look at Lauren’s Bags installation from far away – what does it
look like What do you imagine it would feel like As you move closer,
what do you notice When you walk through the artwork’s corridor,
listen carefully to the sounds made by the walls as you pass by them.
Are the walls moving, or do you think they might be breathing What
else might they be doing (i.e., shivering, shaking)
(3-6)
What plants do you have in your garden at home or at school Can
you find them on Lauren’s table Why do you think Lauren chose only
to include plants found in New South Wales In pairs or in groups,
brainstorm what you think the artist should do with the plants after the
exhibition finishes.
Making it
Start a collection in your class of plastic recyclable materials. Think
about what kind of materials you want to work with – bags, bottles,
coloured or clear, etc – and how many. Once your collection target is
reached, use these collected items to create a sculptural artwork, in
either pairs, small groups or as a class.
Create a ‘plant exchange’ at your school. Encourage everyone in your
class to bring in a cutting of a plant from home potted in a recycled
milk carton. Be sure to record the name of the plant and the care
instructions for encouraging growth. Organise a swap meet with your
class and see the different varieties of local flora thrive. Choose one
of the plants featured on Lauren’s gallery installation table. Complete
a drawing of this plant, capturing its colours and different textures –
don’t forget its unique recycled ‘bottle pot’! Find out the name of this
plant and research a few of its interesting facts. Present your findings
and drawing on a poster to hang on the wall so that others may learn
about your chosen plant.
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
What is a “commissioned” art work Why would an institution, like
the MCA, invite an artist to make a work specifically for an exhibition
What aspects of Lauren Berkowitz’s project Sustenance have/will take
place outside of the exhibition Why do you think this is important in
terms of understanding the artist’s intentions
(10-12)
Think about the different ways in which Lauren Berkowitz’s artistic
processes and material choices reflect her conceptual practice. In pairs
or groups, examine the Artist’s relationship with the other agencies
of the artworld (the Artwork, Audience and World) and present your
findings on a mind map.
In her catalogue essay, Rachel Kent discusses how the artist’s Jewish
heritage is invoked through the use of salt in many of her installations.
In Jewish tradition, salt is used in ritual as an expression of mourning 11 .
Think about why salt might be a loaded symbol in exploring the
themes that inform her art making.
Making it
Choose a professional field of environmental conservation that you
are interested in, and conduct a research project into issues pertaining
to your local area or state. Your findings will form the basis of an art
project and/or installation, for which you may like to invite your family
and friends to participate in the process.
Think of a list of consumer waste materials, other than those used
by Lauren Berkowitz in her MCA installations, which can be re-used
or recycled. Research the work of other artists who employ these
materials in their art practice. For example, Australian artist Robert
Klippel made sculptures out of recycled metal, and Rosalie Gascoigne
collected disused road signs as the basis for her art works. Create
a body of work that utilises retrieved materials in order to promote
environmental awareness.
11 Rachel Kent, ‘Lauren Berkowitz’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, Museum
of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.30
11

Diego Bonetto
Diego Bonetto
Weedyconnection 2008
guided Tour of Steel Park,
Canterbury, New South Wales
Image courtesy and © the artist
Photograph: Diego Bonetto
12

Diego Bonetto
Born 1969, Pinerolo, Italy. Lives and Works Sydney, New South Wales
The Terrariums represent the environment outside, without any added trick or intrusion. The project 5 Terrariums, 5 Tours and a World of facebook
Friends is yet another intervention of mine, using technology, social media, games, mock-up documentaries, etc, aimed time and time again at
problematising the simplistic attitude towards nature that feeds our environmental legislation today. I believe in befriending nature. 12
The interdisciplinary practice of multimedia artist and activist, Diego Bonetto, presents an
alternative merger of ecological, economical and political imperatives in the move towards
sustainable art practice. Through a deliberate veto of allegiance to any given media or material,
Bonetto’s work has taken shape in many different forms, whether it be object-based, performative
or experiential. His creative interventions often take place beyond the galleries walls, infiltrating a
variety of unexpected social platforms and networks. His work to date covers the diverse fields of
sculptural installation, internet projects, video and online performances, cooking classes, lectures
and guided/audio tours. Often site-specific and project-driven, Bonetto utilises his chosen medium
as a vehicle to communicate, educate and generate discussion. As an ardent collaborator,
Bonetto is also a key member of artist group SquatSpace, the Network of UnCollectable
Artists, and founder of the internet-based Weedyconnection 13 project, just to name a few.
Perhaps the most alluring attribute of Bonetto’s practice is his ability to re-sensitise his audiences
to the overlooked and neglected elements of our natural surroundings, elevating their reputation
amongst all living things and reinstating their value within the wider ecosystem. Of particular
interest to the artist are the numerous and varied non-indigenous species of ‘spontaneous flora’,
commonly referred to as ‘weeds’, which sustain a persistent presence in his work, both physically
and metaphorically. Through his work, the artist explores the idea that weeds represent a human
desire for control rather than co-existence, highlighting the inequality inherent within such
beloved colonial ideals as the manicured ‘front lawn’. 14 In drawing attention to this concept as a
social construct, Bonetto suggests that the threatening and invasive nature of weeds is a common
misconception, and like many other living organisms, they have an origin and a traditional use,
along with an equal right to existence, rather than the notion that weeds are “pests”. Bonetto’s
work also puts forward a challenging social critique of the metaphorical link between these
‘unwanted’ species and current socio-political attitudes towards migration and cultural diversity.
Diego Bonetto, 2010
Bonetto’s contribution to this exhibition is spread generously throughout and beyond the
reaches of the gallery precinct. 5 terrariums, 5 tours and a world of Facebook friends (2010)
is a new three-part work comprising five sculptural terrariums (or garden enclosures)
containing local soil samples and the weeds that spring forth from them; five public
walking tours through Sydney’s parks and gardens in search of naturally-sprouting weeds;
and a Facebook campaign for networkers to ‘befriend’ various species of spontaneous
flora. 15 Mimicking the mobile sprouting ability of weeds, Bonetto’s terrariums spring
up and inhabit unexpected alcoves throughout the MCA’s level 3 galleries. Beyond the
installation, however, Bonetto intends to highlight our increasing disenchantment with
the real world, by re-acquainting audiences with the natural inhabitants of our local
urban sprawl. He aims to disrupt the social networks of our virtual environments with
the dissemination of information pertaining rather, to our natural environment.
Diego Bonetto
5 terrariums, 5 tours and a world of
Facebook friends 2010 (detail)
terrariums, soil from 5 locations in the Sydney Basin, guided
tours of the locations, Facebook profiles of the plants visited
5 Terrariums: 80 x 55 x 55 cm (each) Courtesy the artist
Image courtesy and © the artist
Photograph: Arnel Javíer Rodríguez
12 Email correspondence with the artist, 20 July, 2010
13 See www.squatspace.com and www.weedyconnection.com for more information
14 Josephine Skinner, ‘Weeds of thought: on Diego Bonetto and sustainability’, 2009, unpublished, np.
15 Rachel Kent, ‘Diego Bonetto: weedy connections’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.34
13

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
What are weeds What makes them different to other kinds of plants
Where do you find Diego’s ‘weedy’ installations in the gallery space
Is this where you would normally find works of art Why do you think
Diego has decided to put his weeds in places that are good for hiding
(3-6)
Can you identify any plant species that are known as weeds in your
garden at home or at school Check out Diego’s website, Weedy
Connection at http://www.weedyconnection.com and research some
of the weeds that naturally occur in your area. Where do they originate
from and are they useful for anything
Making it
Make your own weedy terrarium! A terrarium is a miniature landscape
of living plants. You can be as creative as you like in choosing your
container in which to house your plants. You can either plant your own
seedlings or nurture them to grow, or leave your soil-filled terrariums
outside and see what naturally sprouts up!
Imagine what weeds from other countries look like. What about
weeds from another planet Create your own new weed species using
various sculptural materials. You might like to ‘plant’ your sculpture
in a pot and put it on display in your classroom, along with an
information label that states their place of origin and what they can be
used for. Go wild with your wacky creations!
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
Check out Diego Bonetto’s weed campaign on Facebook. Why do you
think he chose to include an online element in his work How does
this virtual network-based intervention inform the sculptural elements
displayed in the gallery space
(10-12)
Diego Bonetto draws his audience’s attention to the concept of
‘permissible species’ as a social construct, and uses weeds in his
work as an apt metaphor for issues surrounding immigration and
multiculturalism. Discuss the political aspects of Bonetto’s practice
in relation to his chosen platforms of art production – installation,
performance and the internet – and also the intentions behind these
processes – to educate, infiltrate and ultimately change cultural
perceptions.
Making it
Create a proposal and design layout for a Facebook campaign
that promotes awareness for an environmental cause that is important
to you. Consider the ways in which your audience will become involved
in your online campaign: what Facebook applications will you utilise,
what interactive elements will you provide, will you incorporate images
and video clips, will your online ‘friends’ be invited to become active
participants in your campaign, will you have a set objective or target to
reach at the end
If you could conduct a series of public tours, highlighting and informing
locals of the weird and wonderful facts of their immediate surroundings
that they may be completely oblivious to in the conduct of their day-today
lives, what would it be about In how many ways could you extend
this topic to develop a body of work that encompasses many different
forms of artistic practice, such as sculpture, installation, documentary,
performance, and online interventions
14

Nici Cumpston
Nici Cumpston
Cultural landscape - Nookamka I 2008
archival print on canvas, hand-coloured with pencil and
watercolour 65 x 177 cm Image courtesy the artist and
Gallerysmith, Melbourne © the artis
15

Nici Cumpston
Born 1963, Adelaide, South Australia. Lives and Works Adelaide, South Australia
Language: Barkindji
I feel like I am an investigator when I go out into the bush, as I am always photographing everything I see, like I am gathering evidence. 16
Nici Cumpston, 2008
Nici Cumpston is an Australian photographic visual artist with a uniquely diverse family background of Aboriginal, Afghan, Irish and English
decent. Cumpston is widely recognised for her distinctively creative style of photography in which she hand-colours camera-captured images of the
Australian landscape. Prior to her exhibiting career as an artist, Cumpston put her photographic skills to use working for the South Australian Police
Department, and through this workplace experience, she developed a familiarity with the process of developing colour film, which was used to
document speed and red light offenses, as well as to crime scenes. 17
Cumpston utilises her knowledge of the land and her Barkindji family heritage to study and explore the landscape – by foot, through lens and
by hand. Once she has captured her documentary-like images on black and white film, she will add colour directly onto the processed negatives
using transparent watercolours and pencils, which will then be scanned and printed digitally onto canvas. 18 This purposeful and painstaking process
infuses the subject with an artificial likeness, lending Australia’s drought-stricken landscape to a compelling and ghostly hyper-real representation.
Cumpston’s large panoramic landscapes of dried-up waterways and exhausted trees are here given a new aura of life through the artist’s colourising
intervention.
Paroo River
Warrego River
Culgoa River
MacIn
Through her series of photographic prints from 2008-10, Cumpston has documented the deteriorating landscape of Nookamka Lake, otherwise
known as Lake Bonney – a shallow catchment area connected to the Murray Darling river system in South Australia. This once pristine Bourke and flourishing
environment undeniably substantiates the ineffective and neglectful farming
Wilcannia
methods and abusive, unsustainable water usage thatthe river systems have
NSW
suffered over the last two hundred years since colonisation. 19
Bourke
Broken Hill
The receding water levels of Nookamka have not only left behind a weary
landscape of uprooted trees, but many Aboriginal artefacts and remains
were exposed on dry land where they had once been concealed by water.
These markings and burial grounds are evidence of the abiding customary
connections Aboriginal people have had with this place for thousands of
years. Cumpston’s strong connection with her Indigenous descendants and
their culture has instilled in her a great deal of passion for seeking out and
recording the Barkindji people’s enduring relationship with the land, and as
such, her eerie and evocative landscapes of Nookamka are
Adelaide
SA
Adelaide
SA
Lake Bonney
Broken Hill
Lake Bonney
Mildura
Mildura
Wilcannia
VIC
VIC
Darling River
Darling River
Murray River
Paroo River
Hay
Murray River
Hay
Warrego River
Murrumbidgee River
Murrumbidgee River
Albury
NSW
Lachlan River
Wagga Wagga
Culgoa River
Albury
Lachlan River
Cowra
MacIntyre River
Boggabilla
Toomelah
Wagga Wagga
Cowra
Sydney
about people as they are about place. Though the recorded effects of
drought and water mismanagement have potentially starved Nookamka
beyond rescue, Cumpston’s careful colouration appears to restore the
landscape with a quiet dignity, and what remains in the space between real
and imagined is a sense of responsibility and remorse for the memory of a
vanishing place and its people.
Above: Map of Nookamka Lake, otherwise known as Lake Bonney,
a shallow catchment area connected to the Murray Darling river
system in South Australia.
16 Tess Allas, ‘Nici Cumpston’, Dictionary of Australian Artists Online 2008, accessed 21/05/2010, .
17 Ibid.
18 Artist’s statement, ‘Our People – Nici Cumpston’ University of South Australia News, accessed 21/05/2010, .
19 Keith Munro, ‘Nici Cumpston’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.62
16

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
Look at the trees in Nici’s photographs. How do you imagine they are
feeling Why do you think they are feeling that way Choose a tree in
one of the artworks and write a story from its point of view.
(3-6)
The absence of water is the main issue being addressed by Nici’s
large-scale images of Lake Bonney. If a lot of the Lake’s water supply
is missing, what else do you think is missing from these landscapes
What kind of plants and animals rely on water to survive and are
therefore absent from these images
Making it
Using simple craft materials, like cardboard, create a photo-shaped
viewfinder to explore your local landscape and waterways. Much like
the way Nici uses her camera to capture a landscape image, use your
viewfinder to ‘frame’ your landscape image, then draw it onto white
paper using lead pencil. Then fill in this black and white image with
colour, using pencils, textas, watercolours and collage materials to
create a multi-layered landscape of different colours and textures.
In groups or as a class, research the history of Lake Bonney and how it
has changed over the many years since European settlement. Create
an illustrated timeline of Lake Bonney’s history, including any recent
attempts to improve the environmental conditions of the Lake, as well
as any future plans for development.
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
Lake Bonney, like many other regions along the Murray Darling River
system, has been significantly altered since European settlement due
to the effects of drainage schemes and other environmental impacts.
Research the history of Lake Bonney, including its previous recreational
uses, poor water management schemes, local sources of pollution and
causes for degradation. How does this inform your understanding of
Cumpston’s two prints, Cultural landscape – Nookamka I & Nookamka
III What ideas does the title ‘Cultural landscape’ bring to mind
(10-12)
Take a close look at Campsite, Nookamka Lake V (2010) and Scar tree,
Nookamka Lake (2008). The process involved in making these images
is highly detailed and complex. Compare and contrast Cumpston’s
artistic practice of hand-colouring black and white negatives and
printing digitally onto canvas with the process of colour photography
printed onto photographic paper. What are the differences in both the
material and conceptual effect How does the artist’s chosen process
add meaning
Making it
In pairs or groups, research different ways in which the landscape
of Lake Bonney may be rescued or revitalised. Discover some of the
principles of ecologically sustainable development and research
various government projects that aim to increase biodiversity,
improve environmental management and provide sustainable
water management schemes. Create a large-scale landscape image
that depicts Lake Bonney in 20 years time under your sustainable
waterways plan, including the changes you would have implemented
and their long-term environmental benefits.
Using your local knowledge of your area, create a body of work
that explores the environmental degradation of a location, area
or region that is important to you or your family. How would you
depict the landscape in order to draw attention to its ecological
mismanagement
17

Janet Laurence
Janet Laurence
Cellular Gardens (where breathing begins) 2005
stainless steel, mild steel, acrylic, blown glass, rainforest plants
dimensions variable
Museum of Contemporary Art, purchased 2005
Image courtesy and © the artist
18

Janet Laurence
Born 1947, Sydney, New South Wales. Lives and Works in Sydney, New South Wales
Both works address the fragility of our living environment. I’m interested in our interconnection and dependency on this environment
and our own implication in its despoliation and loss. My concern has been the loss of habitat and resultant destruction of ecosystems
and tragic decimation of species.
Both m y breathing animals in ‘Vanishing’ and the plants in ‘Cellular Gardens’ could be seen as refugees from their natural habitat,
with both on a form of life support.
Janet Laurence, 2010
Leading Australian artist, Janet Laurence, has maintained a strong personal commitment to promoting the preservation of our natural environment
through her art, and continues to do so with an ever-increasing sense of urgency and devotion. Laurence’s work has always been inspired and
informed by nature, driven by strong ecological imperatives and a deep-seated understanding of the interconnections that bind all matter, from the
microcosm to the macrocosm, and from both the natural and built environments. Fixated on examining the interaction between nature and culture,
Laurence’s work occupies a unique space in which art, science, memory and imagination meet.
Laurence embraces a range of media and materials in her practice, extending across locations and forms in response to specific sites and
environments. Along with an impressive record of gallery representation, Laurence is also well-known for her public commissions and architectural
collaborations, most notably in Sydney for her project, Edge of Trees (1994-95), made in collaboration with Fiona Foley, and installed in the forecourt
of the Museum of Sydney; as well as her reparative waterway installation, In the Shadow (1998), at Sydney Olympic Park in Homebush Bay.
Consistent with intimate gallery presentations and large-scale outdoor installations is the engagement with the environment and architecture.
Since the late 1990s, Laurence’s work has expressed an increasing concern for the ominous aspects of human occupation that have resulted in
environmental devastation such as wide-scale deforestation, land degradation, the depletion of precious natural resources and the diminishing of
species. 20 In this exhibition, we see two very different approaches to Laurence’s consistent thematic exploration of the fragile balance that exists
between all natural and living things and the consequences of human activity driven by profit and greed. Exemplifying the diversity of her practice,
these sculptural and video installations come together to create an intimate space for interaction and immersion, inviting the audience to linger,
reflect and contemplate.
Upon entering the space, viewers initially encounter the amplified sound of breathing. Vanishing (2009-10) is a new work filmed during the artist’s
three month residency at Taronga Zoo in 2009. It comprises of a two-screen video projection revealing the contours, thick furs, curled claws and
the gentle breathing motions of various endangered species, in a tranquil layering of imagery and sound. Through this work, Laurence has created
a sense of ‘slowed space’, engaging with the architectural environment of the gallery to draw our attention to the beauty and vulnerability of the
animal realm, suggesting that if we can slow down in time enough to reflect, then perhaps the world may stop changing for the worse.
Breath continues as a parallel theme in Laurence’s remedial installation, Cellular Gardens (where breathing begins) (2005). Revealing her fascination
with nature and systems through which it can be examined, collected and displayed, Cellular Gardens presents a series of glass vessels mounted
on slender steel supports. Tenuously housing a selection of young rainforest saplings, these glass vials function like a gathering of miniature
glasshouses, at once a site for germination, experimentation and preservation. Comparable to the vitreous equipment of a science laboratory or
a medical life-support unit, the delicate plant specimens are interconnected by a system of tubes, exploring the notion that science has become
integral to the way in which we relate to our natural surroundings. Whether this piece is a futuristic botanical shrine to a long-lost species, or a
disturbing preview of the immanent alternative measures that loom along our current path of destruction, Laurence’s ecological agenda is evident.
By bringing into her art a close examination of the fragility of the plant and animal realms, and the threat that we pose to them for the fate of future
generations, Laurence poetically draws our attention to the issues that concern us all and resonate with today’s eco-conscious world.
20 Rachel Kent, ‘Changing topographies: the environmental art of Janet Laurence’, catalogue essay in Janet Laurence: A Survey Exhibition, Drill Hall Gallery, Australian National University,
Canberra, 2005, p.16.
19

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
What animals can you see in Janet’s video work, Vanishing Where
might you find these animals What parts of the animals can you see
close-up What words can you think of to describe their features, like
their fur, their claws or their snouts
(3-6)
Look at Janet’s installation Cellular Gardens (where breathing begins)
and discuss what you think the system of tubing might represent. What
does it remind you of What does it make you think of, and how does it
make you feel Use your imagination!
Making it
On your own or in groups, research some endangered plant species
and create a series of drawings. You might like to cut out your drawings
and make a mobile to hang them from, present them in a diorama,
or include your drawings in a poster that promotes the conservation of
your chosen plant species.
Go big and collaborate with your classmates to create an indoor plant
sanctuary. You might like to use real plants and watch them grow, or
make your own futuristic botanical species using various sculptural
materials. (Hint: patty-cake cups make great flowers, or look up
some ways you can make your own blooms using origami!)
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
The audio aspects of video installation can carry a lot of meaning
in terms of setting the mood, conveying feeling and triggering
an emotional response. Close your eyes and listen carefully to
Janet Laurence’s video, Vanishing. What do you understand of the
work just by listening to it Then open your eyes and turn to look at
Laurence’s Cellular Gardens, in the same room - how does the audio of
the video piece affect your interpretation of her sculptural installation
(10-12)
Our ability to breath is fundamental to our existence and is facilitated
by the plant life that surrounds us. Breath is also fundamental to the
art of glassblowing, which was used to create the vessels that house
the rainforest plantlets in Cellular Gardens (where breathing begins).
Discuss the importance of the relationship between the artist’s concept
and her chosen media in communicating meaning, with reference to
both of Janet Laurence’s installation pieces.
Making it
Research an endangered plant or animal species that is native to
your region or state. Create an artwork or body of work that explores
the fragility and vulnerability of this species and draws attention to
the precarious nature of its existence. You might like to incorporate
drawing, photography, collage, installation or film.
Janet Laurence has long been fascinated by glasshouses and
other cultural constructs that function as sites of display, cultivation
and conservation for botanical species. Explore a variety of these
structures and systems that facilitate the examination, collection
and display of the natural world, such as science laboratories,
natural history museums, botanical gardens and glasshouses. Create
your own artwork that re-interprets their function, purpose and
methods of display.
20

James Newitt
James Newitt
Landscape (detail) 2009
type C photographs
30 photographs: 20 x 30 cm (each); 200 x 180 cm (installation, approx.)
Courtesy the artist and Criterion Gallery, Hobart, Tasmania Image courtesy the artist and Criterion Gallery, Hobart © the artist
21

James Newitt
My primary aim is to investigate the capacity for visual art to identify, describe and elaborate relationships between people and place. By focusing on
relationships that are fragile, subtle, complex or in a state of change I aim to reveal micro-histories and subjective experiences that bind people into
communities and to place. 21 James Newitt, 2007
Since branching out from his formal training as a graphic designer, James Newitt has swiftly become one of the more prominent new media
artists currently working in Tasmania. His video and photography works often incorporate objective documentary strategies, using observation and
interviewing in tandem with facilitated performance and experimental narratives. Newitt explores concepts surrounding individual and collective
identity, community memory, and a sense of place. In 2007, Newitt completed his doctorate in Fine Arts at the University of Tasmania’s
School of Art, and was this year appointed as the School’s Associate Lecturer in Fine Arts, specialising in visual communication. Concerned with
the inherent complexities of human social engagement, Newitt’s artistic practice is informed by his ongoing research into social and cultural
relationships with place, as well as his own personal experiences. As such, many of Newitt’s new media works predominantly focus on localised issues
and situations specific to his homeland of Tasmania, such as his 2007 project, Saturday Nights, in which the artist facilitated a country-dance in a
small town hall on the Tasman Peninsula in Southern Tasmania, five kilometres from the site of the Port Arthur Massacre, and filmed on the 10 th
anniversary of the tragedy. 22
Newitt’s single-channel video work, Passive Aggressive (2009), and corresponding suite of 30 photographs titled Landscape (2009), are both part of
a body of work that investigates the long-standing social tensions between forestry workers and environmental activists in the Upper Florentine Valley
of south-western Tasmania. For years, Government and privately-owned companies have been logging this expansive region of old growth forests
that border the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area. In an ongoing campaign of political lobbying and environmental retribution,
anti-forestry activists have devoted themselves to obstruct forestry practices by taking action in creative, rebellious and sometimes dangerous ways.
Newitt utilises the familiar vehicles of documentary, film and photography to record the interactions between the police, loggers and protestors in the
Upper Florentine Valley. His photographs capture the strategies used by protestors to disrupt the attempts of developers by ‘blocking roads, building
elaborate rope structures attached to logging machines to make them inoperable, and establishing tree-sits to draw attention to their campaign.’ 23
Collectively, these two works actively engage with the quarrels and controversy surrounding a specific time, location and community, without
resorting to mere social commentary, and maintain a critical distance from the situation at hand by focusing instead on exploring the relationships
between people and place.
21 James Newitt, Relational Perspectives: A Visual Investigation into Social and Cultural Relationships with Space, PhD exegesis, University of Tasmania, 2007, p.13
22 ‘Stories of Celebration and Dissent’, Rosalux Gallery,
23 Elise Routledge,’James Newitt’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.124
22

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
Look at the pictures in James’ photographic series, Landscape (2009).
What is happening Who are the people in the photos Do the photos
tell a story Where else might you find images like this On the TV
news In the newspaper
(3-6)
James has used two pieces of equipment to create two different works
that both relate to the same story. Can you identify them Discuss the
varying affects that artists can create by altering their materials and
techniques. Do you think they tell the same story in a different way
How
Making it
What is something in your life that you would want to save if it were
threatened Why is this thing so important to you Create a poster,
photographic series or video that explores this idea.
Think about the debate that is taking place in James’ video
and photographic work between the forestry workers and the
environmental activists. Create a poster you could use in an
environmental campaign.
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
Watch James Newitt’s Passive Aggressive (2009) video closely and
consider the technical and stylistic elements of the work, such as
camera angles, moving and/or static camera shots, editing processes,
audio overlays, scene durations, etc. Think about the ways in which
these elements feed into a documentary style of filming and how this
affects the way audiences will interpret the work.
Do you think Newitt’s style creates an objective or subjective experience
for the viewer Debate this in class.
How does this work differ from a documentary, or a news piece What
view is he putting forward What is his agenda, if any
(10-12)
Conduct further research into the forestry activity and environmental
lobbying that has taken place in the Upper Florentine Valley in southwestern
Tasmania. From your findings, discuss how you think James
Newitt brings about an awareness of the broader implications of this
conflict through his film and photographic work. Do you think his work
raises significant questions relating to power and responsibility If so,
how Consider the implications of this pertaining to the individual,
community, commercial business, organisations and industry.
How does the artist bring about awareness of the broader implications
of this conflict and raise significant questions relating to power and
responsibility
Franklin River
Gordon River
Tarkine region
TAS
Upper
Florentine
Valley
Lake
Gordon
Lake
Pedder
Styx
Valley
Florentine River
Southwest
National Park
Making it
Much of James Newitt’s video work is shaped through research and
personal experience. Choose an important environmental issue that
affects your school and/or local community. Develop a body of work
that could be used to educate or inform the community about this
issue. If there are two parties in opposition over the issue, will you
decide to present the position/opinion of both sides Your artwork may
take the form of a painting, sculpture, photography, installation, video
or brochure.
Above: Map of Upper Florentine Valley, Tasmania, where Passive Aggressive (2009) and
Landscape (2009) were made.
Start an archive of environmental conservation articles featured in the
newspapers. Think about how the author’s opinions and perspectives
can influence the representation of both written and visual content.
Develop a project brief for a documentary video work based on an
issue surrounding some of your findings. Think about the camera’s
ability to capture a moment in time. How might you approach the
project in order to objectively convey the environmental issue and
its circumstances, as well as capture the subjective responses and
opinions of those affected by it How will you propose to document the
issue and capture its social significance to the community at large
23

Jeanne van Heeswijk
Jeanne van Heeswijk and Paul Sixta
Talking Trash -- personal relationships with waste 2010
type C photographs on dibond
25 prints: 35 x 34 cm (each)
Courtesy the artists
Image courtesy and © the artists
24

Jeanne van Heeswijk
Born 1965, Schijndel, the Netherlands. Lives and Works in Rotterdam, the Netherlands
Art has the capacity to contribute to life. From within the realm of art I try to create platforms where people can meet. It is vital that I am inside the
community, become a part of it, and develop the ability to ‘listen’. I want to encourage people to take an active part in what I see as the starting point of
processes that may continue, which will ultimately give them more control over their environment. 24 Jeanne van Heeswijk, 2004
For almost a decade, Dutch artist Jeanne van Heeswijk has dedicated her artistic practice to embarking on lengthy and socially strategic art projects
that originate from, and take place within, the public realm. Committed to providing communities with agency in the art making process, van
Heeswijk has gained international recognition and critical attention for her socially engaged works that generate communication frameworks
where new relations and connections can be established. Often realised through community partnerships or in collaboration with other artists,
designers, architects and software developers, the projects invariably become a process of mediation between the vision of the artist and that of
her collaborators and volunteers. Though van Heeswijk’s ventures always commence with a strong and deliberate concept, the methodology of her
practice lends itself to a process of negotiation and counter-action, and the outcomes often remain open-ended.
Talking Trash –- personal relationships with waste (2010) was produced earlier this year by the artist in partnership with the C3West initiative and
Veolia Environmental Services, an international waste management company, and was exhibited at Goulburn Regional Gallery from April to May
2010. Working in close collaboration with filmmaker Paul Sixta to realise this project, van Heeswijk visited 25 households in Goulburn and Liverpool
to talk about people’s diverse relationships with waste.
Talking Trash began as a series of conversations conducted by van Heeswijk with volunteers across both communities. In posing the question, “what
do you waste” the artist received detailed descriptions of personal approaches and practical actions taking place in the household or workplace,
all in relation to waste. 25 The resulting dialogues presented a variety of individual perspectives on the concept of waste, ranging from the localised
to global in scale, and anywhere in between, from predictable ecological concerns like wasting water, to more unexpected metaphorical matters,
such as the loss of wasted time. From the initial conversation, the artist then scripted a short two to three minute narrative, which she then asked
her participants to re-enact in front of Sixta’s camera. These ‘mini-clips’ are presented in the exhibition, along with a single-channel video work
describing the transit and disposal of garbage from Sydney homes to landfill areas outside of Goulburn, and a display of objects donated by the
project’s participants, which are central to their stories. 26
In its exhibition format, van Heeswijk’s interventionist project presents a different kind of documentary, occupying an ambiguous space between
reality and fiction, as well as turning private acts into public awareness. 27 Not only does van Heeswijk’s project offer a unique insight into the
community as it anticipates the necessity for revolution in the face of climate change predictions, but it also serves as a re-affirmation that the waste
of our lives is as complex as it is consequential.
24 Mirjam Westen, interview with the artist, ‘Jeanne van Heeswijk: The Artist as Versatile Infiltrator of Public Space. Urban Curating in the 21st Century’, 2004, np.
25 Abigail Moncrieff, Talking Trash – Personal Relationships with Waste, exhibition publication, Museum of Contemporary Art, 2010, np.
26 Abigail Moncrieff, ‘You Are Not Alone’, In the Balance: Art for a Changing World, exhibition catalogue, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, 2010, p.96
27 Abigail Moncrieff, Talking Trash – Personal Relationships with Waste, exhibition publication, Museum of Contemporary Art, 2010, np.
25

PRIMARY
Thinking about it
(K-2)
What is waste What kind of things do we throw away
Look at the objects chosen by Jeanne’s participants to be exhibited
in the gallery. Objects can be special to a person for many different
reasons. Do you own something that is important to you, but might be
‘junk’ to somebody else
(3-6)
Where does waste go Research the process of waste removal and
recycling in your school or local area. Can you think of new ways to
reduce the waste you produce at school or at home
Making it
Start a collection box in your classroom and ask your classmates to
bring in clean waste and recycle items, like egg cartons, cereal boxes,
milk bottles or old newspapers. Either on your own or in groups, create
an artwork using these materials. You could hold an exhibition of your
‘trashy triumphs’!
Conduct an interview with a friend or family member and ask them
the question, ‘what do you waste’. From their response, develop an
artwork that describes your participant’s personal view towards waste.
What might be your personal view
SECONDARY
Thinking about it
(7-9)
Jeanne van Heeswijk’s project is about creating dialogue and the
possibilities for social change. What outcomes do you think she set out
to achieve through this project, if any
Do you think the project is successful in solving the problem of waste
If not, what do you think it has achieved How does the art context
of this work inform the way you interpret the information presented
through van Heeswijk’s gallery installation
(10-12)
Some of the terms used by art critics to describe the role assumed by
Jeanne van Heeswijk include ‘mediator’, ‘versatile infiltrator of public
space’ and ‘community worker’. The artist describes herself as an
‘urban curator’.
Do you think van Heeswijk’s interventions belong to the realm of art
Why
Making it
Either on your own or in a group, develop your own documentarystyle
art project that explores a significant environmental issue. What
documentary formats will you utilise – video, photography, written
texts and/or oral testimonies Don’t forget the active elements of
collecting information, such as meeting, interviewing, listening and
responding. How will you present your findings in a meaningful and
informative art installation
Prepare to make a documentary video of the waste and
recycling practices of the members of your own household. Use a
storyboard to plan how you would go about realising your project in
terms of: conducting interviews (if any), who you would film, what
you would ask them, working from script or editing live shots, camera
angles and frames, the mood you want to create, the message you
want to convey to your audience, and how you would install and
exhibit your work.
26

Glossary
Barkindji
The Barkindji People are an Aboriginal clan from the
western region of New South Wales. Barkindji can
also be referred to as Paarkindji or Paarkantji
Colonisation
A process by which a different system of government is established
by one nation over another group of peoples. It involves the
colonial power asserting and enforcing its sovereignty according
to its own law, rather than by the laws of the colonised
Consumables
A material or product that is produced for consumption;
that is consumed or depleted upon use
Commission
An artwork that is produced specially to an order
Darling River
The Darling River is the fourth longest river in Australia,
measuring 1,472 kilometres from its source in northern
New South Wales to its confluence with the Murray River at
Wentworth, on the New South Wales and Victoria border
Detritus
The loose material or remains of matter
Documentary
A film and photographic genre which aims to present
the facts about a particular topic in an objective point
of view, without distortion or interpretation
Drought
An extended period of months or years in a
region without sufficient water supply
Ephemeral
Something with a temporary life span
Erosion
The gradual wearing away of the earth’s surface by wind and water
Hyper-real
Exaggerated in comparison to reality; extremely realistic in detail
Installation
Art which responds to a specific location and space, and
which, by drawing on the traditions of both sculpture and
performance, can result in viewers having a heightened
perception of their own bodies in relation to the work
Interdisciplinary
Characterised by participation of two or more fields of study
Interventions
Interaction with a previously existing artwork, audience or venue/space
Logging
The process of cutting down trees for timber
Negatives
A photographic negative is the image in which light
and dark regions are reversed on photographic
film, ready for wet photography processing
New media
An art form or art style which utilises electronic technologies,
such as the internet, digital imagery and projection,
computers, and other non-traditional media
Ngatyi
The Barkindji name for a rainbow serpent, an important
and respected animal in Aboriginal beliefs and culture
Collaboration
The process of working, one with another in the act of production
Pastoral
In literature or visual art this refers to an idealised version of
country life; associated with living on a farm or in a rural setting
Pollution
The contamination of the natural environment
as a consequence of human activities
Proverbial
Is a simple saying or idea popularly known and
repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common
sense or the practical experience of humanity
Site-specific
Are designed to only exist in the space for which they were created;
they frequently refer to their surrounding environment to inform the
work and enrich the ideas explored through contextual support
Temporal
Enduring for a particular period of time only
Terrariums
From the latin terra, meaning “earth”, and vivariums, meaning
“place of life”, in which selected living plants are kept and observed
Topography
A detailed, precise representation of a place or region
27

Acknowledgements
Education resource and learning activities written by MCA Educator, Olivia Kloosterman and Adele Maskiell, Coordinator,
Formal and Informal Learning.
With thanks to Maura Reilly, Head of Education, Judith Blackall, Head of Artistic Programs, Rachel Kent, Senior Curator,
Clare Willcox, Manager, Public Programs, MCA Curators Glenn Barkley, Anna Davis and Keith Munro, and
Isabel Hesketh, Assistant Curator, Collections.
Designed by Arnel Rodriguez
Museum of Contemporary Art
140 George St., The Rocks
Sydney, Australia
PO Box R1286
Royal Exchange NSW 1223
Australia
Phone 61 2 9245 2400
Fax 61 2 9252 4361
www.mca.com.au
28