53 DEGREES SOUTH
Exhibition by Annette
Lodge
In
February 2015, I went on a voyage to the forgotten islands of the Sub
Antarctic to experience the power of nature, pure and uncut.
Now
free of invasive and introduced species, including humans, their wilderness is
fiercely guarded by the animals, birds and flora that thrive there.
The
symbolism of crossing the unkempt Southern Ocean to get there is not lost on
the traveller It is like running a gauntlet and crossing a threshold, then
disappearing down the rabbit hole.
The
beaches are patrolled by thousands of fur seals, penguins, petrels, shearwaters
and black backed gulls. Clinging to the wind lashed ground are massive tussocks
and Mega Herbs, succulent flowers that are so surreal and beautiful, it is like
wading through a dreamscape.
But
it was the wandering albatross with their 4 metre wingspans that most
mesmerized me. The mythical bird that haunts the poet and seduces the sailor.
It is a knowing bird, innately connected to the wind, the currents, the ocean
and the weather that dictates its world.
On
the
Campbell Islands, I watched them soar into the valleys to find their
nesting mate, communicating, playing together, surfing the
wind. I sat beside the stillness of the
giant lone nesters, whose calm resembled a Buddha where the only movement was
their snow white feathers blowing in the wind and their deep blinking eyes.
It
was a rare glimpse into a parallel world, a great and unforgettable privilege.
This
exhibition is my homage to the soul of the albatross.
Annette
Lodge 2015
With
special thanks to Heritage Expeditions.
Links -
Annette
Lodge 53 Degrees South Exhibition
Annette Lodge
Exhibition
Annette
Lodge 53 Degrees South Exhibition
