BigCi Residency Open Day - 23 Aug 2026

I’m currently coming to the end of a month’s residency at Bilpin International Ground for Creative Initiatives (BigCi) in the Blue Mountains, New South Wales, Australia. To say it has been an incredible experience would be an understatement. I’ve spent the last 4 weeks learning, exploring and making the body of work I wanted to, albeit not in the way I expected (isn’t that so often the way with residencies?!)

Below are some install shots of the collection of botanically-toned cyanotypes I’ve created. I bleached the cyanotypes with a solution of water and wood ash, then used 10 different fire-resilient local Australian plants, carefully foraged from BigCi’s land, to tone each print. Woven in are the shapes and textures of the burnt trees that still scatter the landscape following the catastrophic 2019-20 ‘Black Summer’ wildfires. There are also some digital film stills, which weave together elements of rock, charcoal and the thriving eucalyptus trees that dominate the landscape here (the film will be playing along with films by other residents on the open day).

I will write more about the work and the whole experience when I’ve had a chance to process and reflect, but for now I wanted to share that we’re having an end-of-residency open day and exhibition, for one day only, Sunday 23rd August 2026. There are more details on the BigCi website here (including info about my brilliant fellow residents) - if you happen to be in the vicinity of the Blue Mountains/Wollemi National Park, do come along!