Digital Catalogue: 2024 Josephine Ulrick and Win Schubert Photography Award
Kaye Forster
b. 1947 Otaki New Zealand, lives Gold Coast QLD
Sylvan Codex, 2022
Ilford photographic film sheet, vintage photographic process
Image courtesy of the artist © Kaye Forster
Artist Statement
In Sylvan Codex, photographing beneath the surface of a dark lake in the light of a full moon seems to privilege an encounter with time itself.
Beneath the mercurial water's surface, a 70-year-old, Ilford photographic film sheet unexpectedly captured this 'other world and time' in ancient and enigmatic terms.
Certainly, as I progressed with this project, the suspended black twigs and debris appeared to transmute into cryptic symbols waiting for translation. The moonlight helped to highlight this mystical convergence... a silent dialogue between the tangible and the ethereal... the Sylvan Codex.
About the Artist
Originally from a fine arts background, Kaye Forster became interested in philosophy-based, conceptual art during her studies at Curtin University, WA. Encouraged by her mentors, she embraced vintage photography to gift a voice and connection to our sublime natural world.
These old processes, visually bridging the past and the present, remain Forster's passion. However, her versatility is an asset allowing her to create within diverse artistic disciplines. Forster’s art practice weaves together creativity and a deep love for our earth. Recent international invitations to exhibit her environmental works are a tribute to an art practice that continues to give.
