Sediment cores

Michael-Shawn Fletcher

A dimly lit room features a circular black platform with tall, vertical black poles. In the background, a table set for dining is visible through an open doorway, with wooden panel walls and large windows. — Associate Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher, *Sediment cores,* 2019-2021, organic matter, minerals, charcoal, pollen, epoxy resin. Courtesy of artist.

These sediment cores form the foundation for the work undertaken by Wiradjuri geographer and academic Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher and his team, who extract these samples from wetlands to reveal hidden stories within their layers. Preserved through compression over centuries, these cores speak through the organic matter and charcoal trapped within them, making what Dr Fletcher describes as ‘a sedimentary storybook’.

Sediment Cores has found a permanent home within Science Gallery Melbourne and they are now displayed on the walls of the STEM Centre of Excellence.