Cotton Chronicles: Echoes of the Cumberland Plain Woodland (2024) is a series of three (78cm x 102cm) eco prints on cotton fabric, framed in Eucalyptus Gradis wood, created using windfall leaves from various species of Eucalyptus trees found in Western Sydney on Dharug land.
Whilst other sites remain of the Cumberland Plain Woodland, Reserve 738 & 739, located on Dennis Winston Drive, is the remaining Cumberland Plain Woodland site left in Doonside, after the area was cleared for urban development. My work documents a deeply familiar landscape through the practice of collecting and foraging windfall leaves. Using eco-printing techniques, I contact print the leaves by boiling them, allowing their natural dyes to transfer onto the fabric.
Eco-printing is not just a technique, but a dialogue with nature, where the landscape itself becomes an active participant in the creation process. The captured impressions are artistic representations and ecological documents, preserving the Cumberland Plain Woodland. My work invites viewers to engage with and appreciate the natural world, fostering a connection to the land we inhabit.
The unique prints capture a particular moment in the Woodland's existence, as the natural dyes released reflect the current seasonal changes. It is important to acknowledge the Woodland's presence and encourage the ongoing conservation of the endangered Cumberland Plain Woodland by preserving everlasting documents of the site.
