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a participatory environmental art project
People are invited to become a part of a collection, through their feet they convey their story. The story of them as part of a whole, a land, a community, a living breathing changing entity.
Their feet are coated in oil and wrapped in gauze, for protection, for care. They are then encased in clay, massaged and moulded so that the clay takes on the form of the person, their body.
Voices talk tell their stories, what they love, what they do, what is important to them, where they live and why, they celebrate their being as part of a whole. Recordings of these stories will form a soundscape to accompany the installation of the collection.
Touch this earth lightly from Bridget Nicholson on Vimeo.
The project started in 2009 as part of the Williams’ River Valley Artists’ Project where Juliet Fowler-Smith invited artists to make work in response to the proposed damming of the Williams River in the Hunter Valley NSW (Tillegra Dam). Juliet’s family has been property owners in the proposed inundation area for generations, and as an artist herself Juliet wanted to present a collection of artists responses to this proposal, and others that result in a loss of cultural heritage. The Williams’ River Valley Artists’ Project has exhibited at the Muswellbrook Arts Centre in October 2009, at the Tocal Field Days May 2010, and at the Tin Sheds Gallery, Sydney University with ‘Cry Me a River’ .
Touch this earth lightly has also been shown at the Dungog Film Festival May 2010, Gloucester Gallery July 2010, Cessnock Regional Gallery May 2011, Araluen Arts Centre, Alice Springs, July 2011, and at the Gunnedah Creative Arts Centre September 2011.
touch this earth lightly is an ongoing project with installations at various places as opportunities arise.