September / October 2009, CAIRNS REGIONAL GALLERY
The genesis of this work grew from a visual diary about my adopted home of Holloways Beach where fishing is a part of life. Nets and fishing and tangles have long been part of my symbology. Nets of all descriptions provide metaphors for the rich web of relationships in this community.
I believe the importance of connections and disconnections a of central questions of our humanity. In this work, I link this question to place. Deep attachment to place is well recognised among indigenous people. They know that maintaining links to family and country is vital to the soul. As westerners, we have largely lost this link. The migrant experience further severs the connection. When returning to the land of my birth I cannot deny the immediate feeling of attachment. I understand the language, the customs, the humour, but most importantly I feel a deep emotional connection to the place that is hard to explain. There are many stories of people returning to the land of their forebears and being deeply moved, even though they may have been born in Australia
At the same time, I have become aware of Entanglement which is part of the discourse of Quantum Physics. The story of Entanglement is incomplete and way beyond my understanding. And although this may sound fanciful, I somehow sense that this development will, in time, show that feelings such as connection to place have a physical, rather than a purely spiritual or emotional substance.
