ABSTRACT –

“Faraway Gums” is a tribute to the awe-inspiring beauty and remarkable resilience of the Sydney Red Gum, also known as Kajimbourra, and Angophora Costata.

This gum tree possess a regenerative ability that defies belief, and their twisted silhouettes bear witness to the turbulence of nature. The scars of lightning, fire, and insect carvings have become haunting ghost limbs and misshapen bumps that are rugged yet graceful- each telling a unique story that has unfolded over centuries.

Named in reference to British author Enid Blyton’s well-known collection of children’s books, ‘The Enchanted Wood’, This series aims to capture the wonder and mystery of these majestic trees, inviting the viewer to experience them in a whole new youthful way. Part fantasy, part study on nature – a documentation of natural history, a fresh perspective on the earth that is magical, mesmerising and alluring.

‘As a child i loved climbing trees. The adventures they held, both actual and imagined are largely forgotten or beyond the comprehension of an educated adult. And its is from these memories that Faraway gums comes.’

This is an ongoing multimedia series since 2019. It consists of a Photographic series, along with video portraiture.

180 Collins St, Melbourne

Time Square - The Pixel Show

Pitt St, Sydney - City of Sydney Hoarding

Photographic Series

Exploring beyond the familiar and searching for new, hidden perspectives and strange beauty, these majestic trees were captured using a special full spectrum camera (infrared) that sees wavelengths invisible to the human eye. The magenta/ red hue is the reflection of infra-red light combined with a portion of visible light in the 550 nm (nanometer) – 1000nm range.

Land of Trainia

Angophora costata is a tree species that is native to the east coast of Australia, specifically the sandy soils and rocky ridgelines that run alongside the coastal regions and adjacent waterways of New South Wales. This species can be found from the northern parts of Sydney to the Central Coast, thriving particularly well on Hawkesbury sandstone, where it forms pure stands or close-knit groups.

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In the wild, damaged limbs of trees are isolated by an internal tourniquet. Over time, these lifeless branches are severed by age, causing the trunk to take on a gnarled silhouette.

Land of Aplaearia(Left) Land of Aplaearia (1000Nm)(right)

A period of shedding occurs in spring and early summer. Bark is seen cascading down on a windy day, large grey flakes drop to the bush below, revealing a smooth pink and red trunk.

“One big broad brach slanted upwards at the top of the Faraway tree. Joe climbed on it and looked down - but he could see nothing, for a white mist swirled around and about. Above him the enormous thick white cloud stretched, with a purple hole in it throughout the topmost brand of the faraway tree disappeared.”

In addition to their remarkable ability to shed damaged limbs, these trees possess an internal defense mechanism against attacking insects and wood-boring beetles. They produce a sap-like substance called Kino that oozes out of the tree, covering and trapping any intruders that dare to breach its bark.

““Goodnight! they said. What a lovely day it’s been. We are lucky to live near the Enchanted Wood!
They were, weren’t they? Perhaps they will have more adventures one day, but now we must say goodbye to them, and leave the fast asleep..””

The Film

‘The Faraway gums’ is part of an ongoing photographic series capturing the Kajimbourra tree.
This non narrative film was primarily shot between December 2018 and March 2020, from the period of the drought and bushfires (Late 2019), through to the rains and the magical bark shedding in its aftermath (Oct 2020). All captured with a mix of infrared and visible wavelengths ranging from 550nm to ~ 720nm

Unrated
Country | AUSTRALIA
Running Time | 15 Minutes. 2023 Version
Running Time | 11 Minutes. 2020 Version
Aspect Ratio | Portrait and Square
Available for Licence

@ 180 Flinder St, Melbourne

Display at 80 Collins St, Melbourne (June 2020 - June 2023)

The Pixel Show

Times Square, New York – April 1-8, 2024

As part of Art Innovations ‘The Pixel show’

City Of Sydney

Creative Hoarding

In 2023 ‘Faraway Gums’ was licensed by the City of Sydney as part of its Creative Hoarding program. The program was created to inject more art to the streets of Sydney and bring creativity into the everyday. It provides artwork for developers to use in high traffic areas throughout inner city regions of the City of Sydney council.