Lest we forget, 2012
About the work:
Memory is an enduring theme in Lest we forget, a relaxed young lion sat atop a grand plinth with rolled ends taking pride of
place in the centre of the Tent. This work has all the gravity of an ANZAC memorial however the plinth is not of stone or bronze
as one might generally expect of such monuments - this plinth was fashioned in rough sawn pine and plywood and is instantly
recognizable as a packing case for freight. The packing case is a reoccurring theme in The Tent of Wonders, serving as a reminder
of the movement of stock and goods by sea to and from Australia and the trade in animal bodies. Concealment and consignment,
compartments and containment, labeling and classification.
The case reads ‘Lest we forget’ stenciled on the front and ‘fragile’, and ‘this way up’ with arrows sprayed here and there in a casual manner.
Even the lion appears still quarter wrapped in its plastic shroud in a manner that might suggest that it had just been part unpacked and left
atop the case in an absent–minded way. The title reveals the work, our absent–mindedness towards our environment and other species that
share it needs to be addressed, this work reflects our half-hearted response. In a sense we have only just started to ‘unpack’ the problem.
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