Author: scarlettjn001

Rosie Weiss: A Forgotten Hero

Scarlett Noorman 28780051

“With all the things that are going on environmentally, it’s just a reminder of what to fight for”

Rosie Weiss on her work, ‘On the edge’

In visiting ‘In the Valley’, the latest exhibition from the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery (as detailed in my last post), I found myself struck by the works of artist Rosie Weiss. Her works are rooted in and around the landscapes of the Mornington peninsula, where she lives and works. Consuming an entire wall of the exhibition was her piece, ‘On the Edge’.

‘On the Edge’

The artwork features hundreds of fragments of nature- branches, leaves, corals- collected from the “edges of human activity” over the span of the last 40 years (Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery 2019). These fragments are delicately and carefully assembled, together they are reminiscent of either systems found in nature, like the vein patterns of leaves, or the human circulatory system, a large part of a tree acting as the heart. Contrastly, they could be viewed more as specimens, as pieces placed on the surface designed for human study. Either viewing of the of the work will stir emotions surrounding the beauty found in nature, and in considering the broader context of the exhibition, the potential destruction of our natural environment in the coming decades. The meticulously designed spacing between each remnant makes each appear quite lively, despite the fact that they were collected up to forty years ago. The impact that this work had on me when I first entered the room has lasted throughout the two weeks since I saw it, I am still bemused by Weiss’ ability to arrange so many small pieces to serve as an almost living, breathing, whole.

‘On the edge’

During my visit to the gallery, Weiss was present chatting to visitors, remarking in her works. She exclaimed at how she was delighted at visitor’s interaction and connection to the work. She noted that it brought her joy to see many people taking photos of it, which makes for a nice break from the typical ‘no photography allowed’ signs plastered around many galleries.

Her work signifies a need for social change, in a very gentle way. This is to say, in complete contrasts to past Australian artists such as the Inkahoots collective, who used overt slogans and mass outreach to promote change (Poyner 2013). Many believe that not enough societal action is being taken to halt climate change, hence the purpose of the ART + CLIMATE=CHANGE festival. In his writing, with regard to the lack of artist-turn activists working towards change, Paul Downton asks “Where are the images capable of really jolting our consciousness? Where is there any truly artful expression of what’s happening?” (2012). I believe that Weiss’ ability to reference the beauty and fragility of nature in her works is encouraging necessary societal change and has the ability to make people rethink their actions in regard to how we treat our land.

References

  • Wall text for ‘On the Edge’ by Rosie Weiss. ‘In the Valley’, Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery, 2 March.- 5 May. 2019.
  • Downton, Paul. “The Art of Climate Change.” Artlink 32, no. 4 (2012): 18-21.

‘In the Valley’

Scarlett Noorman 28780051

In the seaside town of Mornington, about an hour south of Melbourne, recently I had the privilege of visiting the Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery’s exhibition ‘In the valley’. The exhibition is part of the ART+CLIMATE=CHANGE 2019 festival, presented by CLIMARTE, featuring a list of 30 or so curated exhibitions across the state surrounding themes of environment, climate change, activism, community engagement and accelerated action (CLIMARTE 2019,1). In the valley aims to “highlight the beauty and fragility of our natural environment” (Mornington Peninsula Shire, 2019) in the local area. The Mornington Peninsula Regional Gallery is a small sized local gallery situated in a civic reserve alongside the Mornington Botanical Rose Garden, which, while objectively quite beautiful, the garden’s British-Colonial aesthetic provides a stark contrast to the contents of the exhibition inside.

In entering the first room in the gallery, there exists a striking collection of works by artist Siri Heyes. Heyes’ series of photos present beautifully crafted large scale prints of beach landscapes. Each photograph contains somewhere within an individual, reminding us that these vast landscapes, while once unadulterated, are now places at the disposal of mankind for the individual’s need; be it walking a group of dogs or scattering the ashes of a loved one. The standout work of Heyes’ is her video piece, ‘Harmonics for Western Port Dolphins’. The video features a woman facing towards a vast bay, playing a tender flute song that permeates the room; and haunts the air of the entire (otherwise close to silent) exhibition. I wonder if her song is her attempt to quell the environmental fears of the dolphins, or my own fears for the imminent destruction of our natural landscape.

Oil paintings by Jean Langley

Covering the far side of the room is a collection of oil paintings by Jean Langley, primarily of landscapes across more southern locations in the Mornington Peninsula. Somewhat akin to more traditional landscape paintings, these showcase the natural beauty and rolling hills of the less inhabited areas. However, like the landscapes themselves, her paintings are imperfect. They are extremely raw, you can visibly see her very freed brushstroke swipes and portions of unmixed paint. It takes a well-practiced artist to be able to make things look so unplanned.

‘Plastic Collected from Mt Martha Beach’ by Merryn Lloyd

Merryn Lloyd’s last three works in the room really struck me- her works now present a quite horrifying reality. The beautiful beaches and scapes I had just seen in Langley’s works are now presented as being places coated with- or should I say composed almost entirely of- fragments of plastic left behind by people. The self-evident title of the series (‘Plastic Collected from Mt Martha Beach’) clues us into the artist methods here. Will this provoke it’s viewers to become more environmentally conscious of how they dispose of their plastic waste?

Some plastic I found on the beach, originally believing it to be some kind of shell.

After the exhibition I decided to take a drive to see these cliffs in question as well as the former hotspot, the ‘Pillars’ (located behind the cliffs, famed as a locale for groups of teens to jump off into the water below). As I understood it, the Pillars were now closed to the public in the interest of public safety and environmental preservation. What I found was more than underwhelming. Large concrete barriers fencing off massive areas, signs threatening 24 hour CCTV surveillance and, unsurprisingly, a beach coated with it’s fair share of plastic rubbish.

Overall, I do believe that this is a purposeful exhibition. I can really appreciate how the curation of local artists’ works feeds into the broader idea of how we as a society treat our environment and why it is important to fight against climate change. This becomes a key motivator in some of the works from this exhibition, which I will de detailing in my next post.

REFERENCES

  • ART + CLIMATE = CHANGE 2019 Festival Booklet, CLIMARTE, 2019.
  • In The Valley: An MPRG Exhibition. Mornington Peninsula Shire, 2019.