Native forest which resides along the outskirts of developing rural suburbs will possibly be destroyed for further housing development. The land here is flourishing with native flora and fauna and although these spaces appear untouched, faint sounds of cars and trucks going by can be heard along with the occasional sounds of construction as new houses get built. Although faint, the sounds almost taunt the land, still preserved for now, but its destruction is edging closer, the inevitability of it all looms over the canopy.
Some of these spaces may not be directly affected in future, due to their geographical location close to the Waikato River, but they are in threat of being lost as quiet places for native fauna.
Sectionsstarted before lockdown and continued throughout lockdown. Accessibility to the outside was limited, wood left exposed reflects the retreating memories of location. Installed in this manner the work references housing, wooden panelling and building materials.
I use wood, specifically old hardboard, to evoke the sense of housing infrastructure. The salvaged pieces also refer to the produced and processed. These worn and used boards emphasize the second hand, and suggest that the landscape is also broken, used and damaged. This history within the material is important in the narrative.Collaging imagery depicting these sections create distorted and dismantled languages that represent the temporality of natural habitats.
Sections, 2020, acrylic paint, house paint on 6 used hardboard panels, 3300 mm x 2000 mm.
Llenyd Price 