Waderpost

Catalogue Statement

Tiny lightweight transmitters have been used to track the movements of different wader species from Australia along the East Asian – Australasian Flyway. This satellite mapping has generated remarkable insights into the nature of these long-distance journeys. I was struck by the parallels between these contemporary transmitters and the history of pigeon post where birds carried very similar weights on their journeys. There are twenty-eight different wader bird species that are common to both Australia and the ChengLong Wetland in Taiwan, approximately half way along the Flyway. In this mail art project, the birds are flying two different places – from Perth where I live – to the gallery in Moonah and the ChengLong Wetlands International Environmental Art Project. Given the multiple human-made obstacles that now face waders on their journeys, it is easy to feel despondent. Sometimes, however, even the tiniest of gestures can help keep the lives of non-human others in our consciousness.