Cartography of Perception 

Four years ago, I developed mobility issues, seemingly from nowhere. I had been living with fatigue and chronic illness for a few years, and I understood the cognitive and physical fog which could strike randomly, but never had I felt such pain from movement. Walking over 100 metres became an impossible task, and venturing out into the world morphed into something I feared deeply. Over two years later, after countless doctors were unable to tell me what was wrong, a naturopath finally handed me the first building block of my repair. It was a slow process, and as I returned to the natural world around me, I began to explore photography mediated by mobility. 

Some days I could walk for a kilometre but be in terrible pain, tunnel vision focus on the destination, while on others I could meander for hours, exploring every feather, bark, and critter who crossed my path. It became a ritual. A reminder. A celebration. A moment to grieve. And somewhat suddenly, Cartography of Perception had been born. At the end of two long years, I realised I had developed an ever-shifting map of my healing process - one that is only in its infant stages.

This series is currently made up of around 200 images, and is ever expanding. Every time it is shared or exhibited, its context and imagery changes. Here is today’s. 

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Cartography of Perception was photographed on Wurundjeri-willam, Gadubanud, Anangu, Aranda, Gunaikurnai, Bunurong and Boonwurring Countries. I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the Countries on which these photographs were taken, their past, present, and enduring knowledge and practices alluded to in this series and pay my respects to their Elders past and present. I acknowledge the unfathomable pain which has been, and continues to be, felt by all First Nations peoples who have experienced forced severance from their own Country. I acknowledge that sovereignty was never ceded on these lands, and I support the continuing efforts for sovereignty.