Balance (2007)

The fence is a potent symbol of development with its capacity to create physical barriers that control while dividing space into discrete areas that denote diverse uses and users. In Balance, the picket fence becomes a metaphor for the conversion (by society) of wild nature into a civilised form, while the eucalypt limb embodies organic growth – the antithesis of the fence. However rather than being an extraneous inclusion, the limb is essential for structural support to literally balance the fence. Indeed, by editing the limb’s base to make it deliberately unstable, Balance visually emphasises the inclusive association between society and nature.