Fight or flight

Abstract

Fight or Flight addresses the end result of recent environmental disturbances and catastrophic weather events brought on by climate change. Many humans throughout the planet have faced personal or property devastation of one kind or another, and this has also occurred in the natural world, affecting plants, animals, insects and other living beings. This body of work suggests a loss of home, or living environment, creating the need for organisms to find another place that will meet their collective needs in terms of food, water, climate and breeding grounds. Through the artworks Swarm and Mob, the viewer was immersed into a purposeful juxtaposition of repeated forms that alluded to themes of transformation, metamorphosis, evolution and survival. Simultaneously attracting and repulsing, the work presented an environment that was on the move, unstable and in flux, suggesting the repercussions of environmental devastation. The immersive environment created by Swarm and Mob surrounded the viewers in the gallery, allowing the dark and furry creatures to enter their personal space, creating a sense of discomfort at being outnumbered, forcing them to confront their day to day actions and their repercussions on the world at large.