Flora Fauna Fading

In the spirit of reconciliation this art series acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their Elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.

Today we are on stolen land belonging to the Yugarabul, Yuggera & Turrbal peoples. Sovereignty was never ceded.

Vessels that once bodied life; lives that had family, cared for their young, had daily ritual and meaning, a life that played a vital role within our ecosystems.

We cannot be so different from them, non-human animals, as we too are of skin and bone built from nature. And while each of them have intricate relationships with one another, what is our relationship to them?

Flora, Fauna, Fading is a remembrance of Australia’s native animals, respectfully adorned with native fauna, reflecting the stories that lay within the cracks & fibres of their bones.

By combining photographs of Australian native animal remains with real pressed native flowers and collage pieces sourced from books & various ephemera, I have created works with the aim of confronting the idea of death, accentuating life’s preciousness, and highlighting the importance of preserving Australia’s native flora & fauna.

I wish to encourage viewers to have empathy for our native creatures, question our relationship with them and our impact on the natural environment as a reminder that we are meant to be their guardians.

When creating this series, I did some readings on each animal featured in the works. Throughout my readings of each animal, it was clear to me that they all have a vital role to play within their surrounding environment, and however different their roles may be, they all have a common threat to their wellbeing and existence.

One of the greatest threats to our native wildlife stems from the increased population, which demands extensive land clearing for housing and agricultural purposes, and further pollutes the environment contributing to the detrimental impact of climate change. Our lifestyle affects every single part of our natural environment, which has been here for millions of years, living harmoniously with other creatures, including First Nations peoples.

Indigenous Australians have a very special connection with land & all that lives upon it, and yet that relationship was destroyed and knowledge lost since colonisation.

I wanted to create this reminder that no human truly wishes harm upon creatures; we have an innate desire to care, love and admire creatures of all shape & size. However, it is our lifestyle choices that either directly or indirectly cause harm, and we need to adjust this.

We can write letters to government bodies or big corporations demanding for change, but change starts with the small and starts with the everyday person.

We can plant seeds both physically and metaphorically, educate our children, talk with our neighbours, adjust where we spend our money in what we consume, reduce our consumption, support local, use what already exists - There are so many solutions under our noses and we know most of them… we just forget. Or get lazy. Or lose sight of the bigger picture.

And so, I present this glimpse into the future - what if one day we look back at what used to be? Like dusty old antiques, fading, strange, yet familiar…

In recognition of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages, I have titled the artworks with the indigenous name of the animal it features. There are many groups of languages and I have come to discover that not all groups will have a name for certain animals, as that animal may not have even existed in that area. Since these works were created on the land of the Yugarabul, Yuggera & Turrbal tribes, I have titled the works mostly according to their language, or the closest tribe & language group where the particular specimen was found.

I wish to thank the Queensland Museum and the Queensland State Library, as well as private collectors for providing me access to the native animal skulls & remains that are featured in this series of work, and sharing valuable knowledge & information to create this series.

I am grateful for being given the opportunity to learn about each of these animals, and bring another voice to sharing their stories.

This is for them.

To purchase any of the original artworks or prints from this series, head to Phoebe’s Etsy Page or send an email via the contact page.