the dead tree the dry stone I knew nothing, 2023
earthenware
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About the Artist
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Transcription
My name is Glenn Barkley, my work is entitled The Dead Tree, The Dry Stone, I Knew Nothing. The text comes from ‘The Waste Land’ by T.S. Eliot; it is a poem I have always admired, as it tells the story of disasters that befell humankind in the 20th century. When I first came to Rookwood, I referenced that work; it was an extremely hot day and wondering around the site reminded me of ‘The Dry Stone.’
I am an artist who is very much interested in monuments and decorative arts; I am curious about how they play out in the cemetery itself. I have been looking at the statuary and ceramics that occur on site; especially a type called Immortelle. Which are ceramic flowers you see dotted close to my work.
The work also references my local connections, my great grandfather owned large parts of Lidcombe; in the shopping center there is a building still called Barkley’s. He is buried here, as is my grandfather; I am curious about those family members, sometimes they feel so alien to us. We don’t know about the emotional lives; we might hear about the family mythology, but we don’t know how they felt.
When I saw those words by T.S. Eliot ‘I Knew Nothing’ that’s how we feel sometimes about the past; our vision is obscured. History is real, it’s staring us in the face; coupled with the beauty of the site, its expansion and the way it covers such a wide range of ground. Also, how it encapsulates his design and ornamentation.
When I do my work, I hold all those things in my head; I am also inspired by relative's own makings, my grandfather was a carver, an armature carver. His uncles and aunties engaged in a folk form I have never seen before; decorating meat carcasses, they were butchers at Lidcombe. So, having drawn on that iconography, it has been a pleasure and a challenge to make this work.
As it is upscale of what I do, thanks to moving into a new studio in the last 4 months and having the ability to do that; it is a great opportunity to try something a little bit monumental.