ARTWORK DETAILS

Rosa Flynn-Smith Kelvin Grove State College
A Study in Suffocation Installation
Installation flat lay piece with collagraphs on hand-made paper, mixed-media book, and found objects

ARTIST STATEMENT

When crushed and placed in running water, foambark (Jagera Pseudorhus) leaves produce foam containing saponins – a toxin that breaks water molecule bonds; deoxygenating water, causing fish to become stunned and float to the surface. This fishing-technique is utilised by First Nations Australians. 'A Study in Suffocation' explores both the suffocation of fish and of culture, utilising the narrative of the foambark to exemplify Australians’ obliviousness to the functionality present within the landscapes we inhabit. The piece addresses the dynamic interrelation between people and place through recontextualising found objects – specifically, symbolism is employed to explore the dismissal of my cultural heritage.

ARTWORK PROCESS

This installation incorporates varying printmaking, papermaking and mixed media techniques. Foambark imagery (e.g. foambark branch ‘strangled’ by fishing-line, leaf prints on handmade paper) is juxtaposed by modern fishing paraphernalia to represent loss of traditional fishing practises – alluding to the broader effects of Colonisation. The diptych book (including: tea-stain-wash, watercolour, acrylic paint, pastels and stitching) acts as a field-guide, created along the banks of the creek it depicts. Gestural, fluid linework across the diptych represents waterways and pathways – exploring how they simultaneously divide and connect spaces, prompting audiences to engage with the more nuanced, overlooked aspects of environments.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Rosa Flynn-Smith

Biography not provided.