Lauren Lysaght

Bush Doctor

2006

glass beads and stainless steel

Lauren Lysaght is one of New Zealand’s foremost social conscience artists. Over more than two decades she has developed a significant body of work that consistently addresses such themes. Her work at Brick Bay, Bush Doctor, is a new venture for her. This is Lysaght’s first foray into the rural environment in New Zealand. The skill involved here is that of creating a piece that has a presence in this exhibition space while not being an imposition on it.

The glimpse of glitz on Lysaght’s delicate little trees is eye-catching. It is achieved by threading green translucent glass beads on stainless steel rods and tying them in place with wire. These trees with their verdant buds of foliage are placed at Brick Bay amidst the prototype that they reference, the New Zealand Cabbage Tree.

But there is always more to Lysaght’s work than first meets the eye. Her works may initially attract the eye as pretty and pleasing, but there is always a sting in the tail – or at least a message in the medium. The title of Brick Bay’s Bush Doctor gives a hint as to the meaning of the work. Lysaght here has created a jewel-like ‘remedy’ for the damage and destruction to nature that is caused by the actions of humankind. The creation of the walkway at Brick Bay may have been the genesis of this particular work, but the message is universal. While the beauty and ruggedness of the bush invite human interaction, as soon as people use it or walk through it, they alter it, damage it. Its fragility is upset. Lysaght rights the damage by creating this gentle, respectful addition to the landscape, one that sits quietly in the bush. Her choice of the colours of the surrounding natural environment is deliberately intended to create an element of camouflage.

Lysaght’s work, like her message, is subtle; so subtle in fact that some people may miss it entirely and walk right past it. The possibility of this delights the artist. Hers is a mischievous spirit, one that consistently informs her comments on social and environmental issues.

Dr. Robin Woodward

*Artist’s statement Brick Bay 2006