THis River
This river currently called ‘Mersey’ has become entwined with my life as a constant yet evolving presence in my thoughts. It has sustained life and spirit in this region for millennia, shaping the land and the lives of the people who depend upon it. The river we know, the one we can see, is wide and placid. Subdued by dams and bridges it meanders through broad agricultural valleys. Yet beyond our view there is a river few of us know: A wild river running through deep gorges and forests.
 
This river is an embodiment of our society’s dependence on natural resources. It is part of a fundamental earth system that humans cannot exist without. I want to know this river more deeply, beyond the purely physical environment. I want to explore the essence of the river in the seen and unseen places, the sublime and the mundane.
I wish to acknowledge that This River carries names and cultural meaning beyond my imagining, the palawa/pakana peoples of lutruwita Tasmania are the original and ongoing custodians of This River, This Land and they always will be. 

THis River: Project 
As the concept of this project developed through out 2019 and into 2020, I had to think of ways to organise the images I was making. Wanting to make sure I experienced as much of the river as possible, without biasing myself to the more accessible areas.  While I considered a mathematical method of dividing the 147 kilometer rivers length into measurement based sections, I eventually decided on a geographical approach, reflecting the changing riverine environments as the river flows from the highlands to the sea. 
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This River:
Installations

inception
Drawn from the body of work produced during the first year of explorations, the results of traversing around half of the river by foot and watercraft, covering sections of each geographic region of the riverine system.  This series is being exhibited at the Cradle Mountain Wilderness Gallery from January to May 2021.

On Site
Is the result of a thought exercise I undertook in the middle of the 2020 covid-19 influenced winter, to present an exhibition that didn't rely on art galleries being open. The idea developed and got support through the Devonport Regional Gallery's biennial arts festival, Tidal 20. I received funding from RANT Arts, Tasmania and the Australian Regional Arts Fund to print the work Locally.

This installation is in place from 24th - 30th January 2021, on the banks of the Mersey River in the city of Devonport.