Earth Binders #2

Artwork

CreatorMacleod, MelissaNameEarth Binders #2Date Made2021-2024Medium DescriptionMixed mediaObject NumberLU334Dimensions630 x 330 x 150 (mm)Further informationMelissa Macleod’s home at New Brighton Beach, Ōtautahi, brings coastal vulnerability, ecological changes, the fragility of ecosystems, and forces of patterns and behaviours to the forefront of her mind. As such, these thoughts and concerns are intertwined with her art practice.

In Earth Binders (a series of 5 works), the bright yellow Gazania New Day flower, with stem, roots and soil, is pressed seven layers deep in a botanist’s specimen box. Gazania is an invasive and highly adaptable coastal dune species, native to South Africa and introduced to Aotearoa New Zealand by European settlers. It is also incredibly demanding, by pulling nutrients and moisture away from other plants and forming monocultures, that it is a threat to native coastal vegetation. The term “earth-binding” also refers to its useful ability to stabilise sand dunes. In this work, Macleod presents a complex and layered interrogation of the balance of climate change effects with ecological preservation.

Macleod (b. 1973) graduated with an MFA from Ilam School of Fine Arts in 2016. Since, she has won numerous accolades and exhibited widely.
Artwork CopyrightAll rights reservedArt CollectionLincoln University Art CollectionKeywordsEcologyLand | whenuaVegetation | Te Wao nui a TāneScience | pūtaiaoPlants | Te Wao nui a Tāne

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Earth Binders #2

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