“Melissa Smith prints with traditional and new technologies in order to portray the way in which climate change is affecting the landscape at both a local and global level. Tidal Sweep II depicts the sea and landscape of Deal Island in Bass Strait. It is an isolated place whose character shifts with the ever-changing weather. The audio uses a combination of field recordings taken from the Tasmanian shoreline and processed tones that emulate the movement of currents around the island. In Weathervane a 100 year old poplar tree sways in the wind. According to Smith the tree acts as a marker for the local weather. More significantly it also reflects the changes happening in our global weather system. For the accompanying audio piece I moved the position of the viewer to within the tree itself. Through the use of specialised microphones the listener hears the deep reverberation of wind passing over the tree. As the wind intensifies, we hear the sound of snow falling on its branches.”

Jay-Dea Lopez
Curator