Relative Terrains

Human and soil are derived from the same Latin root as the word for earth. The soil functions as an interface between the body and its environment. Literally and metaphorically, soil is the source of all existence.  We take birth on soil, live on soil, walk on soil, die on soil and finally vanish in soil.  All life originates from and returns to the earth.  Humans are themselves displays of complex sedimentary process, in the human there is material, fragment, abundance, clay, dirt, nonsense, chaos. 

Relative Terrains traverses the geological environments and volcanic landscapes of Bundjalung Country- the Northern Rivers, exploring how the forces of elements, time, and life experiences shape and change us. Through a palimpsest of the Earth's endless cycles of life and death, creation and destruction, the work examines how our internal and external experiences transform us.

This immersive exhibition honours the power of collaboration and the profound impact of relationships on our lives. At the heart of this exhibition lies the use of earth pigments – the material, interface, and mediator through which different elements converge. Utilising pigments collected from disturbed landscapes, including landslides and eroded sites, the work highlights climatic shifts and climate-induced environmental disasters on the east coast of Australia. It serves as a stimulus for introspection and prompts us to contemplate the ways in which these external dynamics have reconfigured and altered our internal landscapes and terrains. Through a series of large-scale installations, visitors delve into the intricate web of connections that shape and transform us.

The original exhibition of Relative Terrains was initially scheduled to take place in Lismore Regional Gallery, however due to significant damage suffered by the gallery during the 2022 floods, The original exhibition was postponed and later relocated to Grafton Regional Gallery. 

The Relative Terrains exhibition consists of the following 4 installations. Galleries and venues can opt to loan either the entire exhibition or individual installations.

1.) Palimpsest, Karma Barnes and Robèrt Franken, 2023

An installation of 15 large-scale double-sided suspended paintings of various sizes (80-150 cm in width), which can be arranged in site-specific formations.

2.) Earthly Embodiments: Shifting Landscapes, Karma Barnes, 2023

Earthly Embodiments: Shifting Landscapes is an installation featuring over 40 dorodangos (soil spheres) displayed on stands, upon reclaimed bricks, metamorphic earth pigments from landslides collected from Bundjalung Country, NSW, Australia.

3.) CO-Lapses, Karma Barnes, 2023

CO-Lapses is a durational installation featuring suspended 3D printed pod components. These pods continuously release coloured sands, forming ever-changing mounds. The installation area is enclosed by a Perspex barrier, allowing viewers to observe the developing work in strata.

4.) Mapping Internal & External Terrains: Community Cartography, Karma Barnes

Collaborative Community Project / Relative Terrains Exhibition Public Program. A series of 40+ works on boards, adaptable to fit site-specific requirements. A public workshop program can be tailored to the exhibition location, engaging the community in creating new works for the series.

The Mapping Internal & External Terrains: Community Cartography workshop explores the intersection of art, mapping, and personal experiences. Participants will create individual and collaborative artworks using local earth pigments, eco-inks, and mineral waste pigments. The workshop delves into geological terrains and landscapes, examining how inhabitants of the land are shaped and transformed by natural forces, time, and climatic factors. This public program and workshop series provides a significant opportunity for community engagement and promotion of the exhibition.