title_ Theatre of Trees
year_ 2018-19
exhibition_ After Nature, 1 March – 10 June, Level 1 Galleries
location_Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney
materials_dye sublimation print on voile, aluminium extrusion, mesh, tulle, painted leaves, archival scientific images
description_Forest (Theatre of Trees) is a large circular structure composed of three concentric rings, like those of a tree, that viewers are invited to walk within. Inside, they are literally enveloped by the towering mesh structure, which supports semi-transparent ‘veils’ imprinted with imagery of the natural world. Some are based on photographs taken by Laurence on her global travels through old-growth forests and wilderness environments. Others contain imagery that has been reworked by Laurence from art-historical sources, medieval books, and documentation from conservation and activist organisations.
The large circular structure is expanded by three smaller, enclosed spaces which contain a botanical library, herbarium housing 19thcentury botanical models, and ‘elixir lab’ where visitors can taste healing plant extracts over the course of the exhibition.
images_ Photography by Jacquie Manning