I feel very lucky that I lived a childhood immersed in nature, instilling in me a special connection with the natural world that I am so grateful for. This has even become the focus of my creative career in photography, film and video art. Real intimacy with the subject, whether it is a person or nature, is at the core of my work. Growing up camping and creating dreamlike worlds in the bush as a child has led to my ongoing fascination with people’s experience of the natural environment. Working mainly in photography and video installation, my work expresses an immersive phenomenological perspective of humans engaged with nature.
I was instantly drawn to The re-Generation Project because of a desire to inspire more people to engage with nature through art and film. I am excited to learn more about storytelling, and developing a narrative through the eyes and words of a particular individual whose personal experience and story becomes a message for us all.
Last year for my honours degree, I made Love Eyes – an immersive three-channel video installation offering the viewer a meditation on the natural environment. It was inspired by the concept of biophilia, which sees our relationship with nature as a biological ‘need’, highlighting our connection to, and affinity for nature. Love Eyes was developed from a desire to create and document human experiences of nature that becomes an experience for the viewer. Through research in ecopsychology, perceptual psychology, phenomenology and film theory, my honours thesis supported the idea that video art and film can inspire and deepen our innate connection with the natural world. Placing great importance on the fact that human interaction and participation in nature contributes to our mental and physical well-being, which consequently creates value, awareness and care for the Earth.
Love Eyes was invited to be exhibited at Emerging (2015) at the Gosford Regional Gallery and at the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) in Hatched: National Graduate Show (2015).
