2021
acrylic on plyboard under polycarbonate sheet, aluminium
122 x 92 cm

Climate Change represents the rapid transition from Cold War to Hot War. Submarine special intelligence collection operations targeted Soviet activity during the Cold War until the end of the 1980s. The 1991 Gulf War saw the beginning of a significant shift in intelligence collection requirements. An audio tape makes its way to an awaiting empty spool representative of an intelligence void in the new national security space. The tape follows the path set by BNC coaxial connectors in the shape of the Southern Cross representing the nation’s directives in relation to intelligence collection requirements. The submarine is at depth while on patrol in dark waters. It may be HMAS Orion. Aptly, the Southern Cross and Orion are two of the most observable constellations in the Southern Hemisphere. A ghostly HMAS Brisbane is set against a sandy-coloured background representative of dust storms that frequently robbed the Persian Gulf of a visible horizon. A clock face without hands represents the passing of time for sailors who remain unsure of when they will return to their waiting family and friends. Although the arc of a sailor’s voyage may be long, it always bends towards home.