Summary Background to the research Overlapping values: Art, activism, environmentalism, Reading the garden as text space, to screen built form, but also as a meditative structure that focus’ the mind artistic response, which over time through the development of a ‘language’ of The wall of this salon, brings into proximity, the beach, the bush, the topography and highlights the importance of the juxtaposition of mass and void as an ‘occult’ or more in tune with the spirit of a post WWII Australia, just a little further up the Oils, brushes and canvas, the tools of artist Peter Glass (1917-1997) are Caitlin’s reflection prompted a query into the Portraying these alternate perspectives of landscape, particularly in Sue Ford’s The archive of the late Gordon Ford, would not exist without the In this exhibition, Annette Warner presents her current research into the iconic This curatorial methodology broadens the discussion on how visual and historical I began this research in Gordon’s garden, some five-and-a-half years ago. I had not inward toward the garden and to the immediate experience. The bridging of the design, inspired by landscape and art practice. This period would ‘set the scene’ textures, colours and memories of landscape and gardens, sometimes associated intuitive practice. One of the main principles in the natural approach to design. Yarra. sometimes exchanged for the graphite pencil and trace in the studio of influence of the Tonalists on Gordon’s work. In-camera: behind the natural Australian garden contact sheets, meant the inclusion of half-finished work or work-in-progress, wilderness and the landscape garden Just to the right of the door was a small room lined with books. Art, music, design, generosity and contribution of his family and friends. I would like to thank sincerely, the owners of Fülling, for their patience and generosity practice of Victorian landscape designer Gordon Ford, creating a unique deep materials are brought together and (re)assessed towards new expressions for the visited Fülling before but was mindful of its significance. What was immediately space between site and sight I think provokes a deeper consideration of Ford’s work for a reorientation of the garden toward a deeper awareness of conservation and with significant events. Artists such as Betty Langley, David Armfield, John Perceval, architect Alistair Knox (1912-1986). Co-incidentally, at the time Meldrum was wildlife, pets, machinery, and men engaged in physical labour. The marks and gaps philosophy, war…and the garden library, with a seat in a big bay window facing the mapping of Ford’s practice. The Atlas of Memory (re)visualises Ford’s natural natural Australian garden and its making. It develops a spatial language where apparent about this old garden, with its many layers, nooks and crannies, was that and the relationship between the garden and the Australian landscape during this sensitivity toward ecology and the Australian flora and fauna. Chris Marks, Aileen Brown, Tom Sanders, Sue Anderson, Isabel Clement, Ceci A point further into the Atlas there is a reference to the significance of landscape of The paintings in this part of the Atlas show the work of Max Meldrum inspired by Sue Ford (1943-2009) was Gordon’s second wife. They were together in the decade evident on these are believed to be connected to the process of editing for an album Gordon’s landscape activism began in the early 1950’s with a protest and blockade at big Ironbark growing just outside. in allowing me further access to the garden for filming. Also, to the painting, Albert Henry Munsell (1858-1918) generous lenders of artwork, including the works of Max Meldrum Australian garden as a collection of archives gathered over the last five years. Close juxtaposition, overlapping and proximity, adjacent to visualisation techniques such it was much more complex than I ever imagined. I enjoyed it! time. Cairns, Lucy Beck, Betty Burstall, Diana Dyason, Jenni Mitchell and Terry Watts are Eltham and art practice through the work of Tonalist painter Max Meldrum (1875- the Eltham landscape, adjacent to those of his pupil Peter Glass. This was happening at a time, in the post WWII period when experiments in an American artist had developed through from the mid-1960’s to approximately the mid-1970’s. Sue Ford went on to become of work, Gordon’s so-called ‘Green Book’ that he was required to submit with his the removal by the SEC of Eltham’s oldest tree that included Alistair Knox (1912-1986) attention was paid to the memories that were offered in conversations with Ford’s as projection and framing, create a potentially rich space to reconsider the garden Digital references to the garden are continued in Loop with Layers. This installation represented here. 1955) and that of his student Peter Glass (1917-1997). landscape design in Australia were more strongly influenced by the Modernist experimental methods, a numbered colour one of Australia’s most significant artist-photographers of the mid-20th Century to application to the newly-formed Australian Institute of landscape Architects. and Matcham Skipper (1921-2011). Mapping the garden library reveals the inspiration and ideas behind Gordon’s from a private collection, Ray Marginson for lending his collection of family and acquaintances during this time, also to the subjects and type of media and landscape archive. Slowly, as I came to know Fülling, complexity fuelled curiosity which in turn fuelled Itineraries through theAtlas uses reflection and projection to show the outlines of the Fülling garden as drawn ethos. Alongside the development of internationally inspired design, the use system based on the human visual response early 21st Century, well-known for her Self-portrait with Camera (1960-2006) and natural Australian garden. Dorothy Stroud, Osamu Mori, Garrett Eckbo, Geoffrey Peter Glass and David Armfield paintings, Jenni Mitchell and Mervyn discovered in Gordon’s garden and the garden library. These became themes or the desire to understand. To talk to people, to read, to find out more! Coming by Lia superimposed by an ever-moving projection of the layers of the garden. The paintings and drawings by John Perceval in particular characterise the shift The Eltham landscape: Tonalism as a visual value of the raw material of the Australian landscape was considered adjacent to to colour. Because of the scientific basis of his Time Series (1974). She describes her landscape photography in the time she is Fieldwork IV - Gordon’s Greenbook (re)visualised Gordon would also become a local organiser for the Tasmanian Wilderness Society in the and Susan Jellicoe, Jane Brown and Sylvia Crow rub shoulders with Australian Hannan for the generous loan of the unfinished portrait of Ford, and ‘curatorial prompts’ that helped determine the form and content of each archive. across an intact garden library, was one of the greatest pleasures of visiting Fülling, There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to visit the Atlas. The gallery is critical to a Complexity in the plan has been stripped back so that the loop replicates the in perspective that occurred during this time in the representation of landscape. environmental concerns. An interest in Japanese-inspired design philosophy work, Munsell’s colour system became the with Gordon as ‘candid’. campaign to save the Franklin River in Tasmania, led by Dr Bob Brown in the late 1970’s writers on landscape and the garden, Peter Timms, Ellis Stones, Anne Latreille, Edna works by Sonia Skipper, Peter Glass and Alan Martin. In addition, I The resulting exhibition is an arrangement of historical material gleaned from Ford’s alongside walking the garden. spatial experience of the diversity of its media and each fragment is placed with complex visual itineraries of the garden over time down through vegetation and Williamstown Inlet painted in 1969 emphasises a picturesque sensibility through Max Meldrum (1875-1955) was an influential artist who lived and painted in Eltham and associated symbology would also influence landscape and garden design. accepted model for describing colour. It is still Gordon’s ‘GreenBook’, now resides in the State Library of Victoria. FIELDWORK IV – early 1980’s. Photographic imagery, particularly the work of landscape photographers Walling, Georgina Whitehead, Ernest Lord, Sarah Guest, Thistle Harris, John Patrick would like to thank the State Library of Victoria, The National Library of collection with additional content from collaborators and friends drawing upon consideration to both media and subject. The Atlas, from this perspective may following the small paths that Ford created to replicate the small trails found in the the colours and textures of the broader landscape whilst his later pencil works focus in the early part of the 20th Century. He was the first painter to be acknowledged sometimes used today. Munsell’s published Photography would be important for Ford in this era in a number of ways. It examines the sculptural ouevre. Stone as material formed a significant aspect of Peter Dombrovskis (1945-1996) and his mentor Olegas Truchanas (1923-1972) would be and Paul Thompson, just to name a few. Australia and the National Gallery of Australia for their permission to techniques from the fine arts, fieldwork and landscape practice. In my practice as a horticulturist and landscape architect, the notion of ‘Fieldwork’ is be understood as a ‘collection of archives’, arranged thematically with the aim of bush. Each portal highlights a section of the garden, focusing on the view and to on a spirited line and detailed form. This focus on line as a means of visualising in the development of a scientific approach to painting. His method, described by In addition to working with Alistair Knox, Peter had his own landscape design works include, Atlas of the Munsell Colour would replace the two-dimensional landscape plan as a way of conceptualising Gordon’s work, and was the basis of a new design language that was part functional/ reproduced in support of the campaign, in pictorials and proposals for national parks.