Project
House of Natural Fiber (IND) in Narrogin
My residency in Narrogin has passed in what feels like the blink of an eye. Time here seems to move differently, slower in rhythm, yet faster in feeling as each day becomes a dialogue between the land, the work and the self. I have spent long hours in the gallery, watching the pieces gradually take form, as daylight slips into night and back again. The process of assembling the installation has been both physical and meditative, like a conversation with materials, textures and sounds that seem to carry their own memories. Along the way, I have been fortunate to meet and learn from local producers, Ned Crossley, Thomas D’Arcy and Cheryl Wilkinson, whose deep understanding of the region’s natural elements and technical support have been invaluable. Their generosity and insights have helped me see the connection between craft and environment more clearly and how each gesture of making is also an act of listening to place.
Within the gallery, the work unfolds as a natural geological gradient: Red (Hematite), Yellow (Goethite), Brown (Limonite), and White (Kaolinite), a slow and poetic transition from fire, life, soil, to silence. This movement of colour and meaning mirrors the cycles of transformation found in nature: oxidation, regeneration, decay, and renewal. During this period, I also joined a warm community lunch at the Gnarojin Community Garden, where we picked our own ingredients directly from the garden. It was a grounding and joyful experience, cooking and sharing food that came from the same soil that inspired my work, surrounded by the scent of fresh herbs, laughter and conversations about land, plants and the passing of seasons. In that moment, I felt the same rhythm of connection that runs through the pigments, a living dialogue between people, earth and creation.
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House Of Natural Fiber, Pigment Sonification Workshop, 2025, Narrogin. Photo: Danielle Halford. -
House Of Natural Fiber, Pigment Sonification Workshop, 2024, Narrogin. Photo: Danielle Halford.
As the final installation took shape, I began assembling the four fermented ochres: Hematite, Goethite, Limonite and Kaolinite,each representing a distinct phase of transformation within the Earth’s living system. These pigments were connected to DIY electronic sensors that captured subtle environmental changes, such as moisture, temperature and conductivity. The signals were then translated into sounds, forming a sonification of the ochres, a way of letting the Earth’s slow, invisible movements speak through vibration and rhythm. The sound data was further transformed into video projections, creating an immersive audiovisual landscape that mirrors the mineral’s inner life. From this process, I developed a series of perfumes that embody each pigment’s sensory essence. The scent of fire, moisture and humus merges geological matter with the human sense of memory and emotion.
This journey became even more meaningful through my conversations with Ross Storey, a Wilman Noongar custodian, who generously shared knowledge of the spiritual and cultural significance of ochres. He spoke about how ochre has long been used in Indigenous rituals, connecting the body to the land as an act of creation and belonging. His stories revealed the depth of meaning behind each colour and how it is not only a pigment but also a symbol of life, ancestry and renewal. Through these exchanges, I came to understand the ochres not merely as materials, but as living bridges between people, earth and spirit elements that have carried knowledge across generations and continue to ground us in our shared connection to the planet.
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House Of Natural Fiber, guided visit to sacred site with Ross Storey, 2024, Narrogin. Photo: Cheryl Wilkins. -
House Of Natural Fiber, final community presentation, 2025, Nexis Gallery, Narrogin. Photo: Elizabeth Pedler. -
House Of Natural Fiber, final community presentation, 2025, Nexis Gallery, Narrogin. Photo: Danielle Halford.
Finally, after many long days and nights of work, the installation stood beautifully in the gallery. The scent of the local bush bark blended with the earthy aroma of the fermented ochres, creating a natural atmosphere that felt alive and grounded. The pigments radiated in shades of red, yellow, brown and white, each carrying traces of the land and the process that shaped them. It was as if the landscape itself had entered the space, breathing, changing, and remembering through colour, scent and sound.
Red turns to yellow, brown to white,
Earth whispers softly through the night.
Each hue a breath, each sound a sign,
Of fire and soil in slow divine.