How deep into the earth we sink

Jhana Millers Gallery, Te Whanganui-a tara Wellington, Aotearoa New Zealand
15 Feb - 9 Mar 2024

How deep into the earth we sink is an exhibition developed from my time at The Gullies Art Residency on a sheep and beef farm in the Rangitīkei in winter 2023. The work explores land use in farming, using undyed Aotearoa-grown wool woven into grid structures emulating pasture as seen from above, in rolling hills and deep gullies where native bush still grows. The woven works are weighted down with pottery weights made from papa clay, a type of clay made from soft, blue-grey mudstone or muddy sandstone common across Aotearoa, seen along the banks of the Rangitīkei river. The different weave textures might suggest differing uses of pasture, while the clay weights ground the lightweight weaving, suggesting a connection deeper into the earth.

The undyed ‘white’ wool references Aotearoa’s colonial past which is heavily tied to wool production, but also references the centuries long history humans have had with cultivating sheep in order to produce not only food but also textiles. Textile production is inseparable from early human development, and wool was one of the earliest fibres used. The use of land as a source of production is also inextricably linked to textile making and use. While on the residency I read about the earliest histories of humans beginning to divide up land to cultivate animals, along with the long story of our association with sheep.

While the work has broader themes this is also a personal exploration. While on the residency I was able to walk the farm at The Gullies and spend time in the rural landscape in ways that haven’t been possible for me since I was a child. Part of my exploration here has been to think about our personal connections with the whenua and how deeply we connect to it.

Read the wall text - poems by Ish Doney here