Works

Drawing | Painting | Video | Installation

Debbie Symons is an Australian contemporary artist whose work explores species loss, environmental change, and the complex relationship between humans and the natural world. Working across drawing, video, painting and installation, her practice is grounded in research and informed by ecological science. Her works have been exhibited widely in Australia and internationally, reflecting on themes of extinction, interdependence, and the cultural forces shaping the natural environment.

Connection

Contemporary drawing exploring forest ecosystems and phytoncides, reflecting unseen exchanges between plants, fungi, and humans, and the biological connections linking human bodies to forest environments. Read more

Sing

Installation exploring species loss and habitat destruction, featuring handwoven bird nests from palm oil fronds, reflecting ecological fragility, extinction, and the impact of global industries. Read more

The Butterfly Effect

Installation examining ecological interdependence and environmental change, reflecting how small actions create large-scale impacts, and highlighting the fragility and interconnectedness….. Read more

The Water Harvest

The Water Harvest is a socially engaged installation-based artwork that celebrates the seemingly small acts of Melbournians collecting rain/grey water in an effort to become more resilient to the impact of reduced rainfall and drought. Read more 

Getting Busy

Getting Busy is a 3D enlarged print of an native Angasi oyster hand cast in bronze. The work is based on the research project investigating the viability of installing an oyster farm in the Docklands. Read more

Trade

Exploring global trade systems, this work examines the relationship between economic exchange and environmental impact. It reflects on how commodities, resources, and species are circulated and valued, revealing the ecological consequences ….. Read more

World Species Market (2012)

80-screen video installation exploring the commodification of species, drawing parallels between financial markets and biodiversity loss, and critiquing globalisation, consumer culture, and anthropocentric systems. Read more

Northern & Southern Spheres

These works examine global divisions and environmental contrasts between hemispheres. It reflects on climate, geography, and geopolitical structures, considering how ecological systems operate across planetary scales and how human-imposed boundaries intersect with natural processes and environmental change. Read more

Spectrogram Series

This series translates environmental data into visual and sonic forms, exploring the relationship between information, perception, and ecological systems. By converting data into aesthetic experience, the work reflects on how scientific knowledge can be understood, felt,… Read more 

Tracking (Antarctica)

This work investigates environmental change in Antarctica through data, mapping, and visual systems. It reflects on climate science and the tracking of ecological shifts, highlighting the fragility of polar environments and the global implications of melting ice systems and environmental instability. Read more

All the Wild Things I’ve Seen

A work exploring memory, observation, and loss. Each painting considers the fragility of biodiversity and the emotional impact of species decline, inviting reflection on human relationships with the natural world. Read more 

Sing

Explores the concept of parallel universes through the metaphor and fragility of the nest. A nest is a multilayered form. On Earth, the nest is a home for numerous species whose societies’ ….. Read more

Counting One to Four: Nature morte 

This work visualises the predicted consequences of our warming atmosphere on the entirety of the Earth’s biodiversity through the use of percentage formulas. Referencing the (IPCC) ….. Read more

Making Water Visible

This work visualises the invisible systems that underpin water use and distribution. The work reveals hidden infrastructures and ecological processes, encouraging awareness of water as both a material resource and a complex environmental… Read more

Amazonia

Developed through direct experience of the Amazon rainforest, this work reflects on one of the world’s most biodiverse ecosystems. It explores interdependence, habitat complexity, ….Read more

Arrivals and Departures 

This work interrogates the inextricable links between the demise of numerous Australian native species impacted by the arrival of four species; the fox, rabbit, cane toad and the Indian myna bird. Read more 

Tomorrow Land

Tomorrow Land investigates the pressures on species as the Southern Ocean continues to warm, with some species destine to reach their physiological and ecological limits within coming decades. Read more

Antarctica: Dissolving Perception

Exploring perception and environmental change, this work examines the shifting conditions of Antarctic ecosystems. Through visual and conceptual strategies, it reflects on the instability of ice landscapes and the difficulty of comprehending large-scale climate change….Read more

World Dates

World Dates records the location, year and number of attendees to each of the fifteen Earth Summits held from 1972 to 2008 via the use of an ink based number stamp. Read more