The mud, the flies, the cold, the rats, the lack of sleep

'The mud, the flies, the cold, the rats, the lack of sleep' is a detailed diorama showing the grim reality of life for Australian troops in the trenches of the First World War. The diorama shows a muddy, barren landscape intersected by a trench where soldiers are seen going about everyday tasks surrounded by rats, boxes of ammunition and mud.

In 2016 Richard Lewer was invited by the Art Gallery of South Australia to produce a body of work for the exhibition 'Snappers and Shrapnel: contemporary art in the trenches'. As part of his research process, Lewer visited the Australian War Memorial where he discovered and drew inspiration from the First World War dioramas. Commissioned in the 1920’s, these dioramas were foundational to the Memorial’s collection. They were first suggested by official war artist Will Dyson and official war historian Charles Bean. Their duty was historical and factual; landscapes were depicted accurately and to scale in order to inform viewers about the war. Bean also wanted the dioramas to be more than simply battlefield models. He saw them as works of art that would help people in Australia understand the experience of Australians in battle. In response to these works, Lewer produced a series of six of his own dioramas that emphasise the unexamined experiences of troops, and their surroundings. Inspired by the tradition of social realism, where an artist embeds societal critique in their work, Lewer’s own series of dioramas depict suffering and uncomfortable truths along with moments of tenderness and spiritual transcendence.

Lewer uses the familiar medium of museum dioramas, but presents his works with a critical edge. Made from a contemporary Australian perspective looking back in time to the First World War, the works encourage a consideration of the role of art in interpreting history and creating empathy across generations.