Luella Price BVA in Fine Art
Australian Artist & Writer
Green is Greener -
'The Australian Dream' 2002
Installation of work at SOApBox gallery in Brisbane and Funded by Queensland Government, Arts Queensland
Searching for the picturesque...Close your eyes... now visualise the most perfect landscape or simply a perfectly civilised suburb. Is it green? Is there lots of lovely lush green grass on the rolling hills? Are the lawns neatly edged and clipped? Maybe you have a few strategically placed gum trees on the horizon or carefully maintained in regimental lines down the street, but are they enough to sustain a colony of Koalas?
The exhibition 'Green is Greener'- 'The Australian Dream' considers the part that cultural notions play in shaping our practices relating to the urban sprawl and it's effects on the Australian environment.
The exhibition reflected upon some of the consequences of 'TheAustralian Dream'. Everybody wants to own the house on a plot of land. The castle surrounded by a moat of green grass. We tenderly water, cut and fertilise our grass to maintain that brilliant green reminiscent of Europe.
Woe be tide the digging bandicoot or assorted insects that may create varying blemishes to the uniformity of our green grass. Gum trees don't fit the picture. They are either too big for the myriad electrical lines that criss cross over head, or they drop leaves, branches, gum nuts etc... that destroy our precious grass.
The exhibition used a variety of mediums that have been used traditionally to demonstrate to us what is 'beautiful'or 'picturesque' in the landscape. Painting and film continue to play their part in helping to shape our beliefs of what is valuable or desirable and what is necessary in the choices that we make.
The green lawn is an alien concept when related to the pristine areas of Australia's environment and may signify more about our secret need to control the organic. Is this civilised behaviour?
