nature and art

Artist Mariette Perrinjaquet, in her latest exhibition 3-16th November at Chapel on Station Gallery, Box Hill, Victoria explores the origins and the mystery of life and our place as humans within this. In her statement she acknowledges the unknowable but expresses the certainty that whether life came about by accident or if it has meaning we are nonetheless part of it with each individual having the power to contribute even in the face of enormous ecological challenges.

The Creation

Echoes of the natural world.

We ask ourselves What is the reason for existence?

In this age of science, at once so powerfully constructive and destructive, we realise that one link will always remain an enigma.

The old adage: ''Life is a mystery to be lived, not a riddle to solve,'' remains true today.

Every culture has conceived its own truth regarding the creation of the world. This quest has always been rooted in man's concept of the reason for existence.

The Bible story of the Creation is most familiar to us, but the theme recurs in most scriptures. In addition, there are the creeds of cultures without written records- The Australian Aborigine and the American Indian for instance. Their truth is based firmly on nature, the elements and the seasons incorporating rituals that draw freely, simply and beautifully on the entire concept of creation and re-creation.

William Blake saw energy as eternal delight and the world in a grain of sand. It can be seen in many such things, for in the smallest cells are reflections of the largest.
Based on early life forms and their evolution, the monotypes here on show, aspire to celebrate and reinforce our connection to the simplest elements. I sometimes add ''eyes''- two small circles or dots, to those primary micro-organisms to indicate that link.

At the core of these mono-cellular structures life is pulsating. They are the blueprints for the more complex life forms.

Austrian photographer, Ernst Haas wrote "If we believe that the whole of creation was an accident, then we are a continuing part of that accident, if it was meant, then we are part of that meaning.'

The elements that surround us flow through us, and the cycle of human life bears a close relationship to the span of the four seasons.

The one faculty that differentiates us from other creatures is a brain that offers us free choice. That choice unfortunately has become a frenzy of accumulation. The following quote is most appropriate, ''Raising our standard of living is truly about needing less and enjoying more.'

Never before has youth been obliged to take greater interest in what science on the one hand, and the wisdom of the ages on the other, have to offer for the future wellbeing of mankind.

In a world out of balance, where profitmaking comes before human life and the ecosystem that supports it, the task is not easy. Who can we trust ?

The answer it seems, could well be found at the heart of the beautiful Amerindian legend of the hummingbird.

One day, says the legend, a huge blaze erupted in the forest. Terrified and powerless, all the animals were observing the disaster. Alone the small hummingbird bustles about fetching water in its small beak.

Diligently, relentlessly he drops the water on the fire. Irritated by this laughable endeavour the armadillo mocks him: ''Hummingbird'' he says, ''Are'nt you mad ? Do you believe that with those few drops of water you will extinguish the fire ?''

''I know," answers the hummingbird, "but I do my share.'