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| Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa, Gosford residency research, June 2012 |
Cobbler's Pegs (Bidens pilosa) is a weed found around the Gosford CBD. It's also commonly known as Spanish Needle, Farmers Friends, Pitchforks and Sticky Beaks - because of its velcro-like burrs. But its not always considered a weed in other parts of the world, in sub-Saharan Africa the tender shoots and young leaves are eaten and in traditional Chinese medicine this plant is considered a medicinal herb, called xian feng cao (咸豐草).
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Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa, found wallpaper, weeds and pipes,
Gosford residency research, June 2012 |
In this installation cobbler's peg burrs climb wallpaper to suggest the ease with which these seeds spread via people's clothing from the outside world into domestic interiors. Despite our constant vigilance to keep nature in its place, it creeps in and disrupts our attempts to maintain our sanitised civilised aspirations.
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| Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa and wallpaper, Gosford residency research, June 2012 |
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| Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa and wallpaper, Gosford residency research, June 2012 |
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| Tecoma Stans, photo by Forest & Kim Starr |
Yellow Trumpet Bush (Tecoma stans) are a common sight around the Gosford CBD area - each tree is prolific, dispersing thousands of their papery seeds on the wind at this time of the year. Although Yellow Trumpet Bush is a pesky weed in Australia, its native to the Americas and widely grown in India, where its used in traditional medicine - the root is a powerful diuretic,vermifuge and tonic; grinding the root with lemon juice is used to treat snake and rat bites, and as a remedy for scorpion stings.
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| Kath Fries, Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pods in the studio, 2012 |
I've collected Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pinned them to the wall on a charcoal drawing of the wind. At first you don't see the seeds against the black charcoal drawing, but when you get up close the individual papery seeds become visible. I'm interested in the ways that nature is creeping back into the abandoned consumer domains of the Gosford CBD, in these tiny and easily overlooked lighter-than-a-feather seeds.
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Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, 210x90x8cm |
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Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, (detail view) |
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| Kath Fries, Gosford Artists-in-residence studio, 2012 |
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Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, (detail view) |
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Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, (detail view) |
The Gosford Artists Residency is organised by Gosford Regional Gallery and the Imperial Arcade. Artists: Wendy Abel Campbell, Kath Fries, Kylie Rose McLean and Janet Meaney. Visitors are welcome 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday 18-29 June and our resulting work will be exhibited at Gosford Regional Gallery from 21 July to 16 September. www.gosfordregionalgallery.com
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