Kath Fries Studio: Bundanon artist-in-residence diary

As the youngest artist-in-resident currently at Bundanon, I've been contemplating an age-old question. I believe that I have now, after three and a half days, gathered enough evidence to answer it categorically...

Kath Fries, Bundanon studio diary, 2012, photograph

Why did the kangaroo cross the road?

No - not to get to the other side...

Not even because the grass looked greener on the other side...

But because she fancied a nice back scratch ... so she crawled under two barbed wire fences, instead of just jumping over the top!

Kath Fries, Bundanon studio diary, 2012, photograph

And then all her friends followed suit. The little joeys were careful to tuck their heads back into the pouch to avoid getting a pierced lip - they're not teenagers yet! The other roos had an enjoyable simultaneous belly and back scratch on the barbed wire. Although most slowed down enough to enjoy the sensation, some encountered it at full tilt - leaving a tuft of fur behind on the metal barbs.

Kath Fries, Bundanon studio diary, 2012, photograph

But how is this going to contribute to my art practice? Well may you ask ... well I believe such native fauna observation could perhaps be interpreted in terms of the ways in which humans try to control and contain nature. Meanwhile nature usually manages to find another way around. As to how this may inspire an artwork, we will all just have to wait and see.

Kath Fries, Bundanon studio diary, 2012, photograph

Even during the day when the kangaroos aren't around (they mostly come out at dusk), I feel a sense of intrigue each time I come across one of the numerous tracks going underneath the fences at right angles. Sometimes the wires are pushed out of shape but usually it's surprisingly resilient to this rough treatment from such big heavy marsupials. The only other tell-tail traces are the soft clumps of kangaroo fur left behind on the metal barbs.