Arrivals and Departures, 2011

Arrivals and Departures interrogates the inextricable links between the decline of numerous Australian native species and the introduction of four invasive species: the fox, rabbit, cane toad, and Indian myna bird.

Over the course of a six-minute video, statistical data relating to hundreds of threatened animal and plant species is juxtaposed with these introduced species, whose presence has contributed to their inability to thrive. This pairing creates a stark visual and conceptual contrast between ecological vulnerability and human intervention.

The work measures the consequences of seemingly simplistic decisions, reflecting on the long-term environmental impact of species introduction. In doing so, it exposes the complexity, responsibility, and ethical implications embedded within these actions, laying bare their enduring ecological cost.

Exhibition history for Arrivals and Departures    

2112 Imagining the Future, RMIT University Gallery, Swanston Street, Melbourne, November 25, 2011 – January 28, 2012.

Arrivals and Departures, Trocadero Art Space, Level 1, 119 Hopkins Street, Footscray, VIC. Dates July 6 to July 23, 2011