Re-collect/Re-present is a body of work by artist Lyndall Phelps, examining nineteenth century Australian botany and ornithology, particularly the important role played by women, in an amateur capacity, in the amassing and disseminating of collections. The exhibition highlights the beauty, fragility and vulnerability of Australia’s flora and fauna, with an emphasis on plants and birds from New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.
Re-collect, the botanical element of the exhibition, references the extensive network of collectors who posted plant specimens to Ferdinand von Mueller, for Australia’s first herbarium, the National Herbarium of Victoria, which he established in 1853. The overwhelming majority of collectors were amateurs, with two hundred and twenty-five identified as women, many of whom were early settlers in isolated areas of Australia.
Re-present, the ornithological element of the exhibition, focuses on and examines the contribution of two women, Elizabeth Gould and Rowena Birkett, who both played an active role in producing the rich illustrations that accompanied early ornithological publications. Elizabeth Gould produced 84 artworks for her husband John Gould’s The Birds of Australia. From 1838 – 40 she accompanied her husband to Australia, to assist with the preservation and recording of specimens. Produced in England, The Birds of Australia was the first comprehensive survey of Australian birds. The first Australian produced publication on birds was The Ornithology of Australia, by Silvester Diggles, who also, in 1877 produced Companion to Gould’s Handbook. The coloured plate version credited Diggle’s niece, Rowena Birkett, as the chief colourist.
Re-collect/Re-present is a large-scale installation, comprising multiple elements, including drawings, botanical specimens, hand embroidered textiles and works on paper. Whilst the works capture and respond to the aesthetics of natural history collections and women’s craft in the Victorian era, Re-collect/Re-present is firmly embedded in contemporary practice.
