Horizontal Connectivity
The Victorian faunal emblem Leadbeater’s Possum is critically endangered. Their greatest threat is clearfell logging for wood pulp to make paper. They rely on old trees with hollows to nest in and a connected understory to forage in.
The Toolangi Sculpture trail is not dense enough for them so the artist has planted Acacia species that they feed on and hand woven many metres of rope from shredded office paper in a futile attempt to restore horizontal connectivity. Special thanks to Steve Meacher from Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possum and to the critters of Toolangi Forest.
The Victorian faunal emblem Leadbeater’s Possum is critically endangered. Their greatest threat is clearfell logging for wood pulp to make Reflex paper. The possums rely on old trees with hollows to nest in and a connected understory to forage in. Much of their remnant habitat has been wiped out in bushfires. During a residency at Toolangi Sculpture Trail I planted Acacia species that they feed on and spent hundreds of hours hand twining a kilometre of rope from shredded office paper in a futile attempt to return the possums home and restore horizontal connectivity. This work began in 2016 during a Toolangi Sculpture Trail residency.
In 2020 I have started weaving paper rope again as a new iteration of the work in response to continued logging in the Central Highlands, Melbourne’s drinking water catchment and an area of significant temperate rainforest.
Special thanks to Steve Meacher from Friends of the Leadbeater’s Possum and to WOTCH Wildlife Of The Central Highlands and Forest Conservation Victoria for continuing the battle to save the forests from the Victorian State Government.
Toolangi Sculpture Trail Residency 2016
6 months later April 2017
July 2020 the acacias have grown to 3 metres and the rare Pomaderris vacciniifolia, the round-leaf pomaderris is flourishing on the site.
