Beverley Veasey
My art practice explores the ability of photography to capture the transient nature of life in particular the way in which we shape the world around us.
Habitats
This work depicts a number of empty animals enclosures found in zoos and aquariums around the world.
As the inhabitants of these spaces are absent we are left to ponder what animal may reside there. As more and more of the earths natural resources are destroyed, artificial spaces such as the ones depicted may be the only way in the future we can encounter other species that are under threat in the wild.
Natural History #1 and #2
This work depicts a domestic animal in an artificial environment. Increasingly we live in urban societies where we are detached from the natural world. The encounters with animals that we do have are often in zoos or museums. This work seeks to amplify the artificial nature of these encounters and to prompt reflection on the impact we have on other animal species and their habitats.
The title Natural History refers to the scientific study of animals and in this case refers to the public displays of animals found in natural history museums around the world.
Scientists have revealed that the world could lose up to half of its species by the end of this century. It seems we are destroying habitats so rapidly, that some animals and plants are failing to regenerate. As more and more animal species continue to disappear, this work provides a space where we can reflect on the diversity of the animal world and our relationship to it.
The animals in this work have been photographed in zoos, agricultural shows, museums and animals sanctuaries around Australia.
