PARK DREAM

2023
Gippsland Art Gallery

Commissioned by Gippsland Art Gallery to present a major new exhibition, Bae and Lawler created two significant works: the title piece Park Dream and a photographic series titled Field of Vision.

Park Dream, one of Bae and Lawler’s signature data works, is composed of 4,400 junctures referencing climate and topographic data from vulnerable alpine and rainforest landscapes in Gippsland and Lawler’s native Tasmania. It specifically incorporates data from the 2020 Black Summer Fires in Gippsland and the 2016 alpine fires in Tasmania.

The work explores the impact of climate change on vulnerable landscapes—those typically unaffected by bushfires and therefore not adapted like ecosystems that have evolved resilience over millions of years.

Addressing the ongoing climate emergency and the consequences of delayed climate action, Park Dream challenges viewers to consider the meaning of climate change for these fragile environments. This large-scale sculptural installation invites exploration, appearing to shift and move as viewers navigate the space, redefining the traditional notion of sculpture as static.

Field of Vision consists of 24 photographs
magnifying the intricate textures and patterns of lichens, showcasing these often-overlooked organisms in large-format prints. This distortion provides a rare glimpse into the microcosmic world of lichens.