River Journey
- When 19 Aug - 5 Nov 2016
- Where
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Address
Cnr Oxford St & Greens Rd Paddington NSW 2021
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Hours
TUES TO SAT, 10AM–5PM
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Phone
+61 2 8936 0888
Water is the planet’s most precious resource yet its health and profusion is increasingly threatened by climate change and pollution. Taking water both as a theme and symbol of anthropocentric change, 'River Journey' fuses art and science to examine the current reality and long-term implications of water management and resource extraction strategies in Australia.
A collaboration between UNSW Galleries and UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, the project uses an interdisciplinary approach to explore some of the latest scientific research into aspects of river life, including the impact of human activity on Australia’s unique aquatic environments.
At the centre of the exhibition are two commissioned projects from Andrew Belletty and Janet Laurence, inspired by new research into the changing ecology of the Murray, Australia’s longest river, and the Murray–Darling River System. Based on the scientific investigations of Professor Richard Kingsford and his team of researchers, Belletty and Laurence's new installations use sound and moving image to capture and advance an understanding of the complex river ecosystem.
Accompanying these commissions are new and existing photo-based works by Nici Cumpston, Tamara Dean and Bonita Ely. Together they trace the river from its origin to the sea, illuminating along the way the plants and organisms that are its life force, while also conveying the long-term devastation wrought by damming, pollution and climate change.
Artists
Andrew Belletty
Nici Cumpston
Tamara Dean
Bonita Ely
Janet Laurence
and UNSW Scientists led by Richard Kingsford
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Project Leaders
Felicity Fenner and Richard Kingsford
This project is presented in association with National Science Week in collaboration with UNSW Centre for Ecosystem Science, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences.