‘Undergrowth’
Transformation: Shedding | Decomposition | Regeneration
In order to make way for new growth, trees naturally shed and let go of the old. Their leaves, needles, and bark fall effortlessly to the ground to decompose, and then new life springs forth in a naturally beautiful cycle.
For us though, the process of transformation can be terrifying, painful, and messy. The grief of the loss and the fear of the unknown can bring even the most resilient of us to our knees as we resist.
Thick in grief with the reality that I was not going to be a mother, I found myself drawn to spend time in the pine forest. The undergrowth around me was in a constant state of transformation however didn’t appear messy, it was layered and somehow whole.
I created the ‘Undergrowth’ series as a visual reminder that something beautiful can emerge from the messiness of transformation. With the use of kinetic photography techniques, I explored my own transformation process and captured the coexisting stages of shedding, decomposition, and regeneration in the undergrowth.
Just like trees, we need to shed and let go of the old in order to make way for new growth.
Simone Gorman-Clark is a Brisbane-born Visual Artist who lives on the Gold Coast Australia. Her art practice encompasses photography and mixed media, and through her work Simone aspires to evoke emotion and challenge her viewer’s perception, to create a dialogue and raise awareness.
Beginning her career in the Performing Arts sector documenting the Australian music scene through live performance and portraiture, Simone’s work has been featured by some of Australia’s most iconic artists, on tour posters, in albums, documentaries, press, print, and online.
With the extreme downturn in the Arts sector during the global COVID-19 pandemic, Simone expanded her art practice and undertook formal studies graduating with her Diploma of Photography and Photo Imaging in 2021.
Having exhibited in a group setting both nationally and internationally, ‘Undergrowth’ is Simone’s first Solo Exhibition.
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