Gallery

The Liminal Image Series

*Liminality (from limen, Latin for threshold); a term used to describe the disorientation which arises in the middle or in-between stage of a rite of passage. During the liminal stage, the participant is at the threshold or boundary between their previous identity or way of being in the world and a new way of being.

This layered image series of myself in states of illness, wellness, strength and vulnerability, were created for my video installation, Liminal: A Work in Progress.

Each image contains several overlaid images taken during the course of my life. My aim was to create a series of narrative compositions which explore the overlapping complexities and contradictions of my lived experience during two kidney transplants, extreme illness, a major stroke and disability.

The images hold tension between past and present; refer to embodied memories; convey the continuation of our past lived experience in the present and future; contain an understanding of the deep spiritual connections, resonances and feeling states between the human body and nature.

MRI, CT, ultrasound and angiogram scans overlay images as authentic reminders of my medical history and what lies underneath.

A heart-shaped formation found in a cave overlays an image of my sternotomy scar, overlaid again with a CT image of the wires used to knit my sternum bone together following open heart surgery; a brilliant sunset taken a few months after my kidney transplant overlays a dream-like image of me covered in a white sheet.

Despite the impact our chronic conditions wreak on our bodies,
the images convey an overriding sense of survival, belonging, hope and gratitude for life.

  • The Stand

    Portrait of the artist in Sirsasana (headstand) (2000) underlaid with eucalyptus forest walking track, Murramarang National Park (2005).

  • The Tree

    Portrait of the artist in rehab following a major hemorrhagic stroke (2009), underlaid with an image of Port Jackson Fig (Don Ritchie Grove, Watson’s Bay 2020), overlaid with a video still of the artist in Vrksasana (Tree Pose) (2000).

  • Sunset Dreamin'

    Portrait of the artist covered by white sheet overlaid with image of sunset Bondi Beach (2017)

  • Wide Awake

    Portrait of the artist covered with white sheet underlaid with image of crashing wave, Ben Buckler North Bondi (2015)

  • Tree of Life2

    Portrait of the artist wrapped in white sheet (2023) underlaid with image of eucalyptus tree, Sydney Harbour National Park (Nielsen Park 2018)

  • Bending Over Backwards

    Portrait of the artist in Urdvha Dhanurasana (Upward Facing Bow) (2002) underlaid with eucalyptus forest walking track, Murramarang National Park (2005)

  • The Haircut

    Portrait of the artist having her hair cut short in hospital post-stroke (2009) overlaid with grass detail (Watson’s Bay 2020) overlaid with water detail North Bondi Kids Pool (2018)

  • Haemo

    Portrait of the artist placing herself on home haemodialysis (2012) underlaid with bruise detail (2022) overlaid with cloud and ridge detail Murramarang National Park (2005)

  • The Heart

    Portrait of the artist (2023) overlaid with cave detail (Jenolan Caves 2016) followed by overlaid detail from coronary angiogram (December 2022)

  • Sternum Dreamin'

    Portrait of the artist (2023) underlaid with reworked sunset detail Bondi Beach (2018) overlaid with detail of artist’s sternum bone, pre-TAVI (Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation) CT scan (2023) and sunset detail Bondi Beach (2018)