Photographs by Emma Byrnes
Amongst many other ambitious projects, Canadian Métis (Indigenous)/Australian artist-researcher, Jen Rae has established Fair Share Fare - a collaborative, multi-platform art project focused on future food security in a time of climate change. And for the second year running I have had the great pleasure of documenting REFUGE at Arts House for Jen.
REFUGE is now in year three of a five-year project that examines potential climate-related disasters and traces how we might collectively respond. It explores the role of artists and cultural institutions in times of climate catastrophe…extreme heat, rising sea levels, forced migration, increased spread of diseases, social unrest, extinctions.
In 2018, the theme for REFUGE was PANDEMIC - artists examined a pandemic event and what happens when the risk of contagion mean no public gathering?
In Jen’s project - a horticulturalist, a masseur and a beekeeper each had significant roles to play and she places them in an immersive spa-meets-science-lab-meets-urban-agriculture environment.
In most instances during this documentation process the light was extremely low which for a photographer can be very challenging as light is what we paint with! But I think the limitations allowed for some dramatic images.
For in-depth detail and photographs of the project visit Jen’s website.