The nature of Tasmanian residence

Since their original settlement, European Tasmanians have dramatically transformed the landscape. The British found, in an ancient environment largely unaltered since the division of Gondwana Land, the southernmost indigenous culture of the world. No man, plant or animal on the land was unaffected by the colonial project. Sadly, this has meant the demise of many endemic species of flora and fauna and, most regrettably, the demise of the full-blooded Tasmanian Aboriginal. Alongside the Europeans' perceived entitlement to claim the discovered land was a conviction that European Tasmanians also had the right to exploit the natural environment for individual purposes. My work contends that some of the colonial attitudes that validated the squander of natural resources and disrespect for human existence are still evident. There is an antagonistic social relationship between Tasmanians who believe in the value of the conserved natural environment and those whose livelihood relies on the resource-based extractive industries in the State. To illustrate how modern social attitudes are connected to the early colonisation process these relationships will be investigated within the visual work. In Tasmania, the environment is deeply associated with all aspects of the modern identity and the way of life. For this reason, the environment remains the paramount Tasmanian icon. My research project examines the Tasmanian environment as a subject with which to analyse, address and project a Tasmanian identity