
Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.

Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.

Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.

Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.

Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.
These works focus on the inner-city landscape of the dirty, weedy and rubbish-infested Merri Creek. This in between space has a potent atmosphere created by juxtapositions of incongruous elements. It is a bubbling brook reminiscent of an old English children's story that is fed by the run-off of the Craigieburn sewer. Its willow and poplar treed banks also contribute to the Old English feel except that the trees are riddled by choking bits of grimy garbage. The Merri Creek is laden with cultural and historical connotations. Its strange entanglement of limbs and trash creates a disturbing atmosphere. I was initially attracted to the Merri Creek because of this potent atmosphere combined with areas of it creating natural amphitheatres, suggesting classical Greek and English stage productions. I have placed figures on these stages in ambiguous gestures. In one image the frontally posed female figure may be about to recite a speech or launch into the next scene of an operatic drama. The viewer may speculate to what has or will happen but ultimately the figure is suspended in a moment of dramatic mystery. The landscape provides a grand and romantic stage that further infuses the image with the open-ended narrative.

Lyric Theatre, courtesy the artist.
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