Oil on canvas, 167x183cm |2010|When you really think about it, landscape is usually a moment more than a place. Landscape is a memory, an emotional response to the colours as the light hits the ocean before a storm. Scientifically it’s a location, in this case with the GPS co ordinates of S42˚48'54.8' E147˚30'43.3'. But the story of this location is a roadside car park before the causeway, just south of Hobart Airport. Here there is a collection of wild and semi-wild roosters and hens. I assume it’s been the dumping ground for some years of cocks from people who prefer to sleep in. This motley crew symbolises survival. They roam free next to a major road, scavenging food. The romance of free-range chickens is landscape, part of the Aussie dream of owning a plot of land, a few chooks out the back; a scene of self sufficiency. What I love about these ‘Airport Cocks’ is they are doing it for themselves, there’s no ownership yet rarely does a motorist fly past not looking for a glimpse of these ‘Airport Cocks’, enjoying the symbolism of self-sufficiency, freedom and survival in a climate of uncertainty. This is the memory of landscape.
2010-01-22 12:23:47 • 0 Comments • Categories: [Landscape]  [make a difference...]