Edge of the Trees Museum of Sydney

Janette Laurence and Fiona Foley By

Charlotte Condon, Isabella Mullan, Georgia Knowles and Holly Ambrose

World

• Influences – Trees contrasting to

buildings– The meaningfully involved

artists in the pubic realm• Site specific • Once the First Government

house • Nationality– European and Aboriginal

World • Technology

– Audio recordings • Interactive

– Nature sounds and the ability to physically walk through the instalment

• Change of Nature– Slow change

• Environmental/Social– Rusting metals. Age of

nature over age of manmade structures

Artwork

• Title: Edge of the Trees• Date: 1995• Materials: sandstone, wood,

steel, oxides, shells, honey, bones, zinc, glass, sound, hair and 29 pillars

• Location: Museum of Sydney on the site of first Government House, Sydney Australia

• Text: A sculptural Installation curated by Peter Emmett

Artwork• The 29 columns represent the 29

Aboriginal clans who originally inhabited the area

• There are samples of seeds and resins to remind the viewer of the original flora and fauna

• Bone, shell, hair and other organic materials remind us of the human presence throughout the history of the site

• Lists of original local plants are carved or burnt into the wooden columns in both their Aboriginal and Latin names.

Audience • The audience of the art work 'edge of the

trees' changes over the different time periods and they manage to create different meanings and grasp emotions towards the artwork, the artists and interpretations of the world.

• Without there being an audience 'edge of the tress' would be nothing, as the artwork has been created by Janet Laurence and Fiona Foley to engage the audience in their experience they have created

• ‘Edge of Tree’s is contained in an open and interactive space that allows the audience to move freely between the components of the work. The audience can engage all their senses within the space, which is what the artists want to happen.

Audience • The utilization of space allows for the work to be experienced as the artist

intended or conversely it allows for chance to become part of the audience experience.

• "From as early as the '70s, I was always interested in the idea of how art worked in a space – how art could contribute to the definition of a space and make the viewer participate holistically within that space."

• " I hope that the work leaves a memory, that it lingers not just for an aesthetic or pleasure end, but because it connects to something. That is why I’m investigating sound and scent at the moment- I want to evoke a sense of the presence of nature." - Janet Laurence

Bibliography • Anon, (2014). 1st ed. [pdf] Available at: http://lahznimmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Art-in-a-Public-Place.pdf [Accessed 24 Jul.

2014].

• Blogs.cofa.unsw.edu.au, (2014). Artwrite » Blog Archive » ‘The Edge of Trees’ – Fiona Foley and Janet Laurence. [online] Available at: http://blogs.cofa.unsw.edu.au/artwrite/?p=1010 [Accessed 24 Jul. 2014].

• Environment.gov.au, (2014). First Government House Site - New South Wales - Australian National Heritage Places. [online] Available at: http://www.environment.gov.au/heritage/places/national/first-government-house [Accessed 24 Jul. 2014].

• Janetlaurence.com, (2014). Edge of the Trees « Janet Laurence. [online] Available at: http://www.janetlaurence.com/edge-of-the-trees/ [Accessed 24 Jul. 2014].

• Sydney Living Museums, (2014). Edge of the trees. [online] Available at: http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/exhibitions/edge-trees [Accessed 24 Jul. 2014].

• Sydney Living Museums, (2014). Museum of Sydney. [online] Available at: http://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/museum-of-sydney [Accessed 24 Jul. 2014].

• http://www.janetlaurence.com/edge-of-the-trees/ 'edge of the trees' sited on the 22nd of july 2014 • • http://everything2.com/title/Janet+Laurence 'everything' sited on the 22nd of july 2014• • http://rewired.edublogs.org/art/hsc-art/edge-of-trees-house/ 'rewired' sited on the 22nd of july 2014• • http://lahznimmo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Art-in-a-Public-Place.pdf pdf document 'ART IN A PUBLIC PLACE ' sited on the 22nd

of july 2014