field trip

As part of a 2013 residency at The Food Court, an old repurposed food court in Melbourne's slightly desolate city Docklands precinct, I organised a field trip in which artists and members of the public undertook a nature survey of the area. The aim this project was to re-examine a place that is emphatically human-made (but not popular with humans themselves) and see what else there is to find. Participants collected samples, answered questions about what living things were present in the area, mapped their journeys, scattered birdseed and recorded the results, took themselves 'off-piste' to conduct their own investigations, drew pictures and ate trail mix and lamingtons. The results were collated and displayed in an exhibition (see Field Trip (exhibition) and Field Trip (book)

bird identification guide

a 1960s copy of the Port of Melbourne Authority magazine for participants to read

a finished clipboard

turning stale bread into sand

a sandy beach of breadcrumbs

maps and archival images of the Docklands area

footage of urban crows being clever

map of the docklands for participants to note their route

ready to explore