Dianna Wells, Melbourne, 2016, photography
Summary
Artist Statement
My practice investigates the intersection of the natural landscape with human change and development, both geographically and historically in Melbourne, where I live.
‘Shrine’ and ‘Melbourne from the Falls’ are two significant sites on Melbourne’s municipal boundary. The photographs form part of a series published with an essay written by Sophie Cunningham that was undertaken collaboratively in 2016.
The south side of the Crown Casino in Southbank, Melbourne, is where the artist E.L. Montifiori made his drawing ‘Melbourne from the Falls’ in 1837. He sketched a lush landscape with an Indigenous group camped beside the falls, a rendezvous point for clans in the area. The falls, a natural basalt ledge across the Yarra River, separating saltwater and freshwater, was used as a crossing point across the river – removed later to make way for the Queen’s Bridge.
This work reflects on the site of this important meeting place, a landscape of displacement and human development. It is part of a series titled 'Boundaries', capturing Melbourne’s municipal boundary both geographic and historical.
Dianna Wells
