Zanci Station: exploded diagram

Zanci Station: exploded diagram was a two-screen installation created from artefacts that were found on the site of Zanci Station in the Lake Mungo National Park in south western New South Wales. I have made a number of works in places that are in between different areas of land use, places where detritus accumulates but becomes invisible because no one is directly responsible for it. Zanci Station: exploded diagram took this work in a new direction by reading the archaeology of an old farm in a national park and finding evidence of: indigenous species; introduced species; remnants of pre-colonial aboriginal culture; the remains of the station itself in the form of wood and metal artefacts; and evidence of its post-colonial status as a National Park. It literally evidenced the multiple narratives of place that intersect and collide in that location providing both an allegory and illustration of place as a complex weaving of histories. I utilised a number of devices within this artwork to evoke scientific imaging and 'study' as a means of representing the relationship between the 'rational' analysis of science and industry and the 'subjective' views of artistic practice. These practices forms part of my ongoing work exploring the historical genesis of non-indigenous Australian art, in particular its relationship to place and natural science. My work is not unique in these aims, forming as it does part of a large and ongoing cultural project. My approach is innovative in terms of the form and technology I use and provides possibilities for other makers engaged with video's capacity to represent the complexities of place/s. *This output was funded through Arts Victoria's highly competitive peer reviewed Presentation round in 2011, evidence of which can be found here in the attachment Arts Victoria 2011