Poetry inspired by Flourish

A collaboration of sewing, photography and poetry.

A Lineage of Ecologies

Each sea blue petal, gathered
in honour of Detritus, was slow
stitch’d into this teeming quilt,
this bowerbird mandala,
this cathedral rose window
in the navy night,
this rock pool in kaleidoscope.
And now the Seaweeds, from
Photographs of British Algae
to whom Flourish is indebted,
wave from their 19th century pages
in a lineage of ecologies.

-Sally Denshire

Sally Denshire PhD is an occasional poet based in Albury who enjoys responding to works of art in her poetry.

Artist Statement
During lockdown I commenced a daily exploration of my backyard ecology; walking laps within my confined space, collecting remnants of flora and fauna, and seeking the unseen. Prompted by this investigative process, I began to reconceptualise my understanding of decadence, shifting from material luxuries to the abundance of time for slow observation of nature and appreciation of place. My blueprints expose the richness of complex life forms standing as evidence of other worlds existing and functioning within our own — microworlds flourishing, dying, and regenerating.

Influenced by the first known female photographer Anna Atkins, who published a book of algae photograms using the cyanotype process in 1843, I used the same technique to create a visual impression of these ecosystems on fabric. The stitching signifies determined walking and the act of mapping while the circles are a recurring motif in my art practice, which here allude to a cyclical abundance.
-Leanne Vincent http://www.leannevincent.com.au/news-blog/ekphrasis-poetry-in-response-to-flourish