32. Blake Griffiths
Title: Rabid Eradication (Persistent Pestilence)
Prize Status: Judges Commendation Prize Winner
Category: General
Dimensions (cm): 40h x 90w x 4d
Medium: Wool Died With Eucalyptus
Statement:
“Rabid Eradication considers the layered histories of the Adelaide Park Lands. It takes the form of a row of skinned and hung rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus), introduced to the area in 1858. Their introduction caused the population decline of native fauna such as the burrowing and brushtail bettong, now considered locally extinct (Bettongia lesueur & Bettongia penicillate). These species once thrived in the Adelaide Park Lands area.Stained the colour of Eucalyptus native to the area on woollen fabric (the product of another introduced species farmed on the present parklands) highlights a tension between what was here, what should be here, and what is here. It asks us to think critically about the Park Lands as a place celebrated for its natural beauty, while also considering its un-natural, manufactured, and un-rehabilitated areas.”
