Otomys: Bundanon sits on a very different body of water and stone to what you usually work near. Did anything from that environment find its way into your material thinking, even if it hasn't shown up in a piece yet?
Meg Walters: Strangely, my experience there had less to do with the land itself and more to do with the way my internal space changed in response to the land. I became ritualistic and methodical in my ability to repeat the same gestures and observations each day, almost like a scientific experiment, using the landscape as a "control" to see how I was adapting in response to place. I walked the same path through the bush every morning, and every evening I would return to the same point on the river to observe the variability within myself. I realised that I was not separate from the land. There was a permeability between us, a confluence or exchange. I became diffused within the land. I became the sunset breaking onto the sandstone cliffs each evening, the tangled vines in the wet sclerophyll forest, the meandering birdsong. This understanding will definitely carry through my work into the future.
Otomys: You write about planning to "remember how to do nothing." Was that intention hard to hold onto once you arrived, or did the stillness come easily?
Meg Walters: I've been a mother now for nearly ten years. So much of my identity has been poured into productivity. The idea of "doing nothing" as a full-time artist and full-time mum is nearly unimaginable. I set out with this lofty goal in mind when approaching this residency. I knew the space and clarity of spending two weeks alone in the bush would be gratifying, but I was curious as to what would come up for me. Once I cleared out the drudgery, the doldrums of everyday life, what took its place was a reunion of sorts. I was able to meet and get to know myself again after nearly a decade of living with this person I barely recognised. I witnessed the death of self, the loss, grief, renewal and a complete remodelling from the person I was ten years prior. A kind of peace arose, a stillness of mind and a fortitude of self. It was an incredibly valuable experience to have that time to re-examine my own practice and to meet myself head on with no distractions.
Otomys: Thinking back before you started the residency, did it meet what you hoped for, or did it ask something different of you than you expected?
Meg Walters: I think curiosity goes hand in hand with creativity. If you have an unburdened, childlike mind, you see the wonder in the world. If you're bogged down by the minutiae of the everyday grind, you lose the capacity to appreciate how wonderful the world is. All I hoped for from this residency was the space to be curious again, to be open-minded enough to observe the world around me and the world inside of me. What I realised is that the two are deeply connected, and the less external white noise there is taking up space, the more space is created within.
Otomys: Now that you've left Bundanon, is there something you're going to carry back into daily life, or that has held a place in your practice?
Meg Walters: All of the above! It's a gift and a challenge to be an artist in this modern world, but I will most certainly try to remember what it felt like to be carefree and uninhibited every day. I'd love to say that I will hold onto these feelings, but that would be a lie. They disappeared as soon as I left Bundanon and started my long drive back on the freeway home. Having said that, there's a seed of a memory that I can hold onto, and I will help it grow.
Otomys: Bundanon was the homestead and studio of Arthur Boyd. How did his practice shape your time at Bundanon?
Meg Walters: I intentionally didn't want his work to influence my time there or my own individual relationship to the land. I left viewing his work at the Homestead and the Museum until the very last day. I wanted the experience to be my own, not in relation to his experience. I'm glad I did that, because his work is very persuasive, and I think it would have wormed its way into my psyche in one way or another. I felt a real sense of familiarity and even camaraderie with him as I finally viewed his artworks on my last day there, an acute understanding of his interpretation of that specific landscape. That land gets into you and becomes a part of you, so you could say I do feel more connected to the art he made.
You may view Meg Walter's work at Otomys between 10am-5pm Tuesday to Friday, or by appointment on Saturdays and Mondays.
