Foreign / Native
A walk through the Royal National Park
My project documenting foreign and native finds
Contact me for any enquiry.
My name is Flore Vallery-Radot. I am a Paris born French photographer and filmmaker. I have worked a large part of my life as a textile journalist and writer, now exploring and sharing my vision of the world through my Leica lens.
I arrived in Sydney, from Paris, nine years ago and I have been living in Grays Point for 6 years. My morning routine involves a walk in the Royal National Park, first to take my children to the lovely local Primary School and then for a healthy hour of bushwalking.
In this wild environment I felt like a complete foreigner. I used to know the name of many French native plants in Paris where I was born or in Burgundy where my family originates from. I suddenly felt lost, as if looking at street signs in a country with a different alphabet.
Every day, I went on quest to discover new plants, trees, and ecosystems. I realised the immense biodiversity of the Royal National Park and wanted to document it for my own enjoyment. I decided to ask specialists and passionate people, starting an extensive research on the plants I photographed. These walks also became part of my creative thinking.
My approach since then is to leave some mystery around my photos, not to be too literal. I treat each plant as a new character I’m meeting. I shoot dark, chiaroscuro portraits of them.
As I went on this self-assigned mission, I discovered the other side of the Park, the dirty one. It is also a dumping ground for people where they drop their plastic cups, old T-shirts or underwear, broken doors, car wheels, or rusty caravans. It is where cyclists and bushwalkers leave plastic or rubber signage oblivious to the harm done to the shrubs or trees they attach it to.
My idea is to show the contrast between the exquisite beauty of this unique natural environment and the lack of care we give it. I want to show people how fragile nature is and how our disrespectful attitude can slowly destroy it. If we teach our children that it is alright to leave their trash in the Park, will they have the same will to preserve this pocket of wilderness as the visionary people who in 1879 made it the second oldest National Park in the world? Won’t our children want to start building on it?
I think art needs to work for change. And this is my contribution.
My Ethos
Everything I photographed and filmed was shot in the Royal National Park with natural light. I didn’t move, touch anything or use any artificial backdrop.
THANK YOU
To Carrie Kibbler who VERY patiently guided me through the process of my first exhibition and answered my millions of questions.
To Sarah Rayner – botanical ceramic artist - and her husband Jeff – Bush regeneration specialist - who have helped me identify the plants I photographed.
To Louisa Chircop for her encouragement and support and for welcoming me into the creative hub of southern Sydney.
To Thomas Boosz my printer who worked his magic to transform my humble digital images into the large dark velvety prints I wanted.
To Seanna Mccune from the Sydney Royal Botanic Garden who took an enormous amount of time to identify blurry plants, and send me precious documentations and links.
HAZELHURST ART CENTRE - BROADHURST GALLERY
782 Kingsway, Gymea
Web
Dates: 5 - 25 August 2020
Sinister finds
Every time I took my Leica SL with me on a walk in the Royal National Park, I filmed every single piece of garbage I found littering the sides of the paths.
My idea was to collect them and assemble them into a little film, a sort of horror film. I want to juxtapose my large portraits of stunning plants with the shocking reality of what we throw in our natural environment.
I have not moved or styled any of these scenes. They are how I found them.
My hope is to inspire the viewer to feel a drastic sense of protection for the precious and inspiring environment we live in.
Prints for sale in 4 sizes, in editions of 10.
Contact me for any enquiry.