Performing the Abels (Mt Jerusalem), Documentation of a performance atop Mt Jerusalem, Tasmania, 29 January, 2019. Photography: Maddy Parsons.
This image was a finalist in the 2019 Bay of Fires Art Prize.
Performing the Abels is a series of documented performances for which I have been climbing the Abels (the 158 Tasmanian mountains that reach over 1100 meters) one peak at a time. The project seeks to address the gap between artistic representations of the landscape and the experience of being in these stunning environments. Within the Walls of Jerusalem, it’s impossible to capture the sheer vastness of this ancient wilderness. I cannot convey the crisp air that catches at the back of my throat as I ascend Mount Jerusalem, nor the gentle rustling of pencil pines, or the trickle of water as it snakes its way from one alpine tarn to the next. It’s not enough to represent the landscape through mimetic means, but I can record my experience of being in the landscape as a temporary visitor.
