top of page

2021

Ephemeral Pleasures

Art Farm Birches Bay, TAS (As, The Field Project, Collaborative Practice)

The Field Project is a collaborative practise between artists' Samantha Stephenson & Caroline Mcgregor.

May this be what you remember most, examines ideas of transformation this reflection generates the impression of light and colour, but on closer examination the flowers are dying. The ephemeral nature of this work brings to mind the climate crisis and poses questions about the longevity of the natural world and about how we manipulate it. Drawing to mind the built environment the pillar of dying flowers interrogates the idea that we can fashion the natural world indefinitely without consequence. The mirror on the floor encourages the viewer to look down and consider, not only one’s place in the room but within the context of nature.
Gifts can be found in a clearing through some trees. Words materialise from the ground, drawing the viewer in and creating an opportunity to linger. Relying on the restorative power of nature, the artists have rearranged and organised native sedge, growing wild from the site itself, into text, causing pause for contemplation.
We are living in challenging times. The global environmental crisis is deepening and we are in the midst of a world-wide pandemic. Fear and uncertainty are escalating. This artwork encourages the viewer to take a breath and find presence again in the stillness of a grove of trees and the calm we can find in the outdoors. The words themselves offer kindness, but equally they reiterate the regenerative power of nature should we protect it.

These works were installed at Art Farm Birchs Bay, Tasmania.

bottom of page