Jess’s work explores connection to the place where she lives and concerns over habitat loss and it’s conservation. In the process of wandering in, collecting and building things from nature, her experience is that there is a gradual unravelling of the unconscious mind to reveal some deeper awareness and self-understanding.
Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
A: I first exhibited at Sculpture by the Sea in 2005 with Ghost Nets, which marked the beginning of my exploration of environmental sculpture and installation. I recently relocated from Mullumbimby to Bellingen after a couple of big years following the climate disaster of 2022, where my valley was destroyed by landslides. My boys and I then had a couple of years in recovery.
Q: What inspired you to start working in your chosen medium?
A: I work in found and natural materials. Currently, I’m using salvaged woollen blankets, recycled paper pulp, and timber from my land. Originally the blankets were salvaged from my home after the landslides. They had been gathered to make wallaby pouches for WIRES rescue, but by the time I returned home two years later, most had been eaten by rats. These materials became a symbol of home and comfort during extreme stress and displacement. I also use weeds, vines, sticks, stones, and bones. I’m interested in the undoing and unravelling of us in our ephemerality, watching form become compost, soil, and nutrients. This ties into my background in medical science and my interest in regenerative agriculture.
Q: Can you tell us about the work you’re exhibiting and the story or concept behind it?
A: The SXS Bondi work is called Sunshine and Extinction. It draws inspiration from the Sunshine Wattle (Acacia terminalis subsp.), a critically endangered plant that grows only on the fringes of the Bondi coastline. The work is built from bright yellow paper pulp spheres and a forest of vertical poles wrapped in salvaged vintage wool blankets, dyed and stitched into bands of colour referencing the IUCN Red List. The installation stands as a sculptural reminder of what is under threat, what is already lost, and what still remains to be cared for.
Q: How did it feel to be selected for this exhibition/event?
A: It’s an honour to be part of Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi- a major cultural event with over a million visitors expected. Bondi is the perfect site for environmental art, balancing spectacular natural beauty with a dense urban environment. That tension mirrors the fragility and resilience I explore in my work. The visibility of this exhibition opens up a public dialogue about loss, resilience, and care for the natural world.
INFO: Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2025
Over 100 artists from 18 countries including Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, India, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Türkiye and USA
Q: What materials do you typically work with, and what draws you to them?
A: I typically work with natural, salvaged, and found materials- earth, stone, sticks, bones, weeds, vintage wool blankets, and other items from tips or op shops. These materials carry memory and meaning. Wool blankets, for instance, hold warmth and domestic history, and when transformed, they carry both familiarity and new narrative. These materials already hold ecological and cultural resonance and speak of cycles of care, loss, and renewal. Using natural and recycled materials keeps my practice in dialogue with the land and lowers its environmental impact.
Q: What does participating in this exhibition/event mean to you personally and professionally?
A: Personally, exhibiting in this event is a stretch- it’s spring and I should be in the garden! But making artwork always feels like a privilege. If I can pay my bills and still make art, then all’s well. Professionally, it’s unknowable- I’m focused on making the best work possible. After that, it has its own life in the world.
Q: How do you hope audiences will respond to your work at the exhibition/event?
A: I hope audiences give some time to the work, to feel into the conversation it’s having. I want to raise awareness about the Sunshine Wattle and the importance of protecting native species- even in urban areas.
Q: What’s next for you in your creative journey?
A: I’ve started working on a new body of work using a material I’ve developed from paper, wild clay, and weed fibre. I’m documenting and taking moulds from the rocks and trees along the river at our new home. It’s a process of exploring and connecting with place. I’m obsessed with rocks- with understanding and connecting to them as conscious beings rather than inanimate objects.
Q: And where can people find you?
