Regeneration
Level Two
Eucalypts are among the most adaptable plants on earth. Their ability to survive extremes is intrinsic to their makeup: leathery leaves hang vertically to limit sun exposure, insulating bark resists fire, and woody gumnuts protect seeds. Roots tap deep or wide for water and form symbiotic partnerships with fungi. Stress from fire, storm, drought, flood or grazing can trigger epicormic buds, which sprout rapid new growth. Many species form lignotubers, mallee roots, at their base that store energy and can regenerate even when trunks above ground have been destroyed.
This room follows crisis with hope. The artists look to what comes after: shoots emerging from scorched wood, life returning to flooded forests, seeds finding soil. Their works speak to the ongoing custodianship of Country by First Nations peoples, to the value of looking closely and carefully at trees, and to the power of collective advocacy in defending what remains. While gum trees continue to be damaged by logging, land clearing and a warming climate, the works here ask us to pause, to breathe, and to consider our role in ensuring their survival.
