Renate Rienmuller - Gumnut Gospel

Gumnut gospel”

Medium: Silver gelatin print (RC)

To me these works fit so beautifully to the “home” theme because this particular body of work/exhibition was all about connection to country and my personal journey and search for a deeper understanding of our rich indigenous culture and history. I chose to use Australian natives as my subject to explore this subject.

I spent a lot of time in nature as a kid and so the native flora and fauna always felt familiar. I have memories of collecting interesting looking leaves, fallen banksia pods, gumnuts and stones. They were always a reminder of that place….a memory and gift from the land. 

I wanted this series to reflect my love and gratitude for this rich land by photographing iconic native fauna as my subject just as I photograph my human subjects. Portraits of nature if you will….really showing off their beauty and details using a photographic process that dates back to 1851 using all raw materials. The fact that images are made directly onto glass plates also felt like a beautiful metaphor for the fragility of nature and the importance to look after it. 

I feel like the resulting images really reflected the beauty and how I feel about the importance of connecting with land/home my journey in educating myself about its rich but also dark history.