Remnants of Existence

Exhibited in: The Alternative Archive – MIX exhibition at the Vancouver Arts Centre, Albany

WhiteWash

Exhibited in: The Alternative Archive – Only Hospital For Miles Miles exhibition at the Lake Grace Regional Artspace

Remnants of Existence

found objects

1000 acre bush land blocks to be cleared and farmed, have a home and family.
Now 10 000 acre blocks with a home and a family.
The land and the farming stays
9/10 family’s and homes no longer exist.
Their existence, homes, dreams, families disappear……from the land.
What is left to acknowledge these early pioneers….not much.
A few bits of rusty metal, glass, broken bits and pieces.
Some still have a tumbled down old houses, now home to the wildlife.
Lost dreams, plans and hopes long forgotten.
Now only memories to a few.

WhiteWash

Medium: encaustic, found and up-cycled cloth, wooden chairs and stainless steel

Size: Variable

After wearing white uniforms for years as a nurse and struggling to keep them unstained and pristine clean, I wonder how the AIM nurses managed to do this with their limited laundry facilities, detergents and stain removers. White linen, white uniforms, white veils, white bandages, all washed and recycled…..no throw-always for them. Laundry hung on the outside lines with dolly pegs that popped off with a good wind. Sheets washed every day, nothing disposable that absorbed the moisture to stop the staining of this beautiful white linen. Washing/sterilising pans outside in a copper in their white uniforms…wood, ash, black soot and smoke. Blood, body fluids, dirt, ink… I still can’t see how they all stayed white.

Photograph: Rebecca Clark