Artist Statement

Forest Fragments; Echoes of the Enchanted Walk – Cradle Mountain, Tasmania

Eleven years ago, I first wandered Cradle Mountain’s moss-green landscape, surrounded by the vibrant presence of coral ferns, myrtles, lichens, and fungi. What began as a short walk transformed into a timeless, immersive experience that embedded deeply within me, offering renewal akin to the life-giving waters of a mountain spring. Revisiting this landscape in 2024 felt like a homecoming, a return to the source of the wellspring.

 This exhibition draws on the richness of this experience and the thriving biodiversity of the Enchanted Walk—a protected reserve encompassing Cradle Mountain’s iconic lava basalt peak. Rising to 5,069 feet, the area harbors a tapestry of alpine vegetation, moss-covered forests, wild moorlands, and glacial lakes, woven together to form a landscape both ancient and alive.

 Cradle Mountain’s unique ecosystem ranges from towering King Billy pines, Celery-top pines, and native deciduous beech (Fagus) to Myrtle, Sassafras, Button-grass, Pandani, and Tree ferns. Each organism plays a vital role in this delicate environment. My work celebrates the intricate beauty of the smallest forest inhabitants: lichens, mosses, fungi, ferns, and other often-overlooked elements like soil and soil crusts, all contributing to the forest’s ecological tapestry.

 Using clays, porcelain, stains, glazes, fabric, threads, Tasmanian woods, and beads, I have sought to translate the textures, forms, and colors of these organisms into semi-abstract ceramic sculptures, textiles, and functional art.  Each forest fragment series within this exhibition represents the remaining yet diminishing parcels of protected forest across the planet. David Attenborough’s ‘A Life on Our Planet’ reveals alarming statistics on deforestation and biodiversity loss, with nearly 50% of forests cleared and species loss accelerating due to habitat destruction and climate change. The art works in Forest Fragments echo these concerns, celebrating Cradle Mountain’s rainforest resilience while inviting viewers to reflect on their role in conserving such vital ecosystems. Through delicate forms of lichens, mosses, and fungi, this exhibition emphasizes the importance of these intricate living networks increasingly endangered by environmental changes.

 Forest Fragments: Echoes of the Enchanted Walk offers an opportunity to reflect on nature’s fragility and participate in its preservation. Taking home a piece of this collection honors Cradle Mountain’s spirit while leaving its moss-covered stones and lacy lichens undisturbed in the wilderness.

Christie Lange

16.10.24