Wildēornes Land #1 - Capertee Valley, 2017
Wildēornes (Old English): a land inhabited only by wild animals. The Wildēorness Land series reflects the inherent loss and uncertainty we face for the natural environment, through the symbolism of an 1880’s mourning shawl and projections of historical illustrations installed in the World Heritage Blue Mountains National Parks. Combining installation, photography, moving image, sound and drawing upon archival records to explore the landscape through a historical, cultural and ecological lens, Welch aims to reveal the symbiotic relationship humans have with the natural world, and the fragility and strength of both. Welch spent several weeks at BigCi artist residency near Wollemi National Park where she researched and created this work on location. The Capertee Valley is renowned for its world heritage Wollemi wilderness, flora, fauna and distinctive array of birdlife, including the critically endangered Regent Honeyeater. Abundant mineral resources of coal, limestone and oil shale has led to an expansion of a mining within the region which threatens this irreplaceable ecosystem. In Wildēornes Land #1 the delicate chantilly lace mourning shawl is suspended inverted in front of a panoramic view of the Capertee Valley, the form of the shawl resembles a stoic mountain, becoming a constructed mountain of mourning. pigment print, face-mounted 80 x 142cm edition of 6
Wildēornes Land #2 - Capertee Valley, 2017 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch pigment print, face-mounted 80 x 142cm edition of 6
Wildēornes Land #3 - Grose Valley, 2017 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch “In Wildēornes Land #3 something has shifted. Nature is no longer secure. With climate change the big scary wilderness has lost its power. Welch occupies the same position as Casper David Friedrich’s confident wanderer, immaculate in 18th century gentleman suit, surveying the mighty realm. Welch by contrast, in mourning garb, offers herself, naked and sacrificial, to a world on the brink of being lost.” Dr Ann Finegan Wildēornes Land Catalogue essay pigment print, face-mounted 80 x 142cm edition of 6
Wildēornes Land Installation Nicole Welch
Blue Mountains Cultural Centre 2017 Nicole Welch
Wildēornes Land installtion Nicole Welch
Blue Mountains Cultural Centre 2017 Nicole Welch
Wildēornes Body, 2017 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch Wildēorness Body reflects the inherent loss and uncertainty we now face for the natural environment, while simultaneously being a personal acknowledgement of the artist embracing her mortality. Swathed in a Victorian 1880s chantilly lace mourning shawl, the artist lay on a large mirror that reflects the sky and the canopy of trees above. Through the symbolism of the mourning shawl and the endurance of holding a pose over time, Welch aims to reveal the symbiotic relationship humans have with the natural world, and the fragility and strength of both. Welch spent several weeks at BigCi artist residency near Wollemi National Park where she researched and created this work. time-lapse film edition of 6
Wildēornes Body, 2017. Installation CEMENTA 17 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch time-lapse film, internal and external audio tracks. edition of 6
East West, 2015 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch East West from the Eastern Interiors series (2015) captures an antique mirror placed on the ground to reflect the sky as it transitions from day to night. Constructed from 3000 photographs taken over a twelve- hour period, the film acknowledges the sky as an enduring navigational device, historically used by humans to traverse the terrain of the earth from east to west, a tool to map, contest and claim. The clouds and stars reflected travel across the mirror forming a hypnotic sequence, encapsulating the recoded time (past), viewed in current time (present), while creating a space for contemplation (future) timelapse film - 3:30min edition of 6
Lightscape #4, 2012 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch Placed in the Australian environment, the chandelier used in the Illumination series (2012) becomes a representation of the British Empire and the empirical conviction that to colonise was to spread the light of civilisation. in Lightscape #4, the empire has fallen. pigment ink facemounted 60x120cm 2012 edition of 6
Wildēornes Land locations 2017 Nicole Welch
Nicole Welch Collecting sound recordings at Mt Lagoon, Blue Mountains for the Wildēornes Land series. Photoshoot at Ganguddy Swamp, Wollemi National Park