Joy & Patrick Heylen

PROPOSAL ARTISTS Collaboration: Joy Heylen & H.P. H. Sculpture Title: Invasive species Materiality: Driftwood and Corten Steel Date: 14/20/2019 “Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.” – Rachel Carson Acknowledgment to past, present and future leaders of the First Nation Bundjalung people, who share their land so graciously with us. The beauty of Mullumbimby, “Mullum” and Byron Bay shire takes my breath away. You pass through dense vegetative canopies with a colour palette any Artists could dream up. It offers sanctuary, enlightenment and solitude. Invasive Species: The audience will experience a strong statement on deforestation and the destructive force of ripping up Nature. A mechanical fist grips the base of a driftwood tree and pulls it out of the ground- conceptually. Materiality: Corten steel- Corten has being used for the last 100 years and has common application in infrastructure. The high tensile steel has a process of rust becoming a protective layer. Driftwood- (Bleached)Tidewreck; Driftwood provides shelter and food for birds, fish and other marine life. Shipworms and bacteria decompose the wood and turn it into the food web. The Byron Bay Shire region has been facing destructive deforestation over the last two decades. The destruction has resulted in losses of local populations of individual species. Clearing of logs and leaf litter layer (preparing for clearing) removes the natural habitat for dozens of species including vertebrates and invertebrates which live in the leaf litter and in the fallen logs - including reptiles, small mammals, invertebrates, for example, spiders, molluscs, millipedes and ants. The creation of structures and community living at the edge of Nature has disturbed habitats which allow the establishment and spread of exotic species which may displace native species. A number of native species may also have increased as a result of clearing of native vegetation which has increased habitat for invasive species. Loss or disruption of ecological function with changes to soil, ecological function and long term modification of native vegetation and plant community. How long are we going to perpetuate the destruction of Mother Nature… each destructive decision we make as humans costs centuries and lifetimes of animals, plants and life. References: http://arakwal.com.au/ NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment file:///C:/Users/admin/Downloads/Byron-Biodiversity-Conservation-Strategy-September-2004-saved-from-web-version.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftwood