Isabel Davies – Artist
MUNGO SERIES 1980 – 1987
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“Following a visit to the archaeological site at Lake Mungo I worked in my studio creating artworks that each contained a fragment of information, created a mood, captured a memory, posed a question or communicated a personal response to country.”
This series of work evolved following a strangely memorable visit to Lake Mungo in the early 1980s.
On my first visit I intuitively knew I must make this place the subject of my next work. It was a moving experience to be part of this quiet, still landscape, and I wanted to share all aspects of its archaeological importance and beauty with as wide an audience as possible and to create an awareness of its historical significance.
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I returned to Lake Mungo many times, drawn by its haunting isolation, its fragile crescent-shaped dune and its links with Aboriginal culture for over 40,000 years.
Many complex issues relating to land, its traditional owners and European settlement were raised by Lake Mungoʼs history.
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As is my usual practice, I worked in my studio creating art works that contained a fragment of information, created a mood, captured a memory, posed a question or communicated a very personal response to the country.
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I began by exploring, photographing and collecting anything that could be included in some future work. I collected things such as scraps of iron, broken china, bleached bones, wood, seedpods and sand. Each fragment evoked a memory.
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Then I supplemented the collection with a work diary of impressions, ideas, research on the area, including its flora and fauna, Aboriginal history and culture and the impact of European exploration and occupation.
Finally, in my studio, I brought all the facets of the work together. Each assemblage became a Ê»memory boxʼ – a complex statement or narrative about a particular, compelling and unique Australian region.
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