‘ Being’ focuses on the natural bushland in Pittwater, Here I spent many hours over winter, exploring & connecting with its beauty and history. Feeling deep connection to places in Pittwater has also come with unease as, like Peter Read in his insightful book Belonging (2000), I’ve questioned our unresolved history of colonisation. I feel connected to places that Indigenous communities are currently fighting for recognition of their ownership. “Do I have the right to belong in this soul country? (Read 2000 p.9) The D’harawal story of Talara’ tingi tells how the Flannel flower represents change and new beginnings (Bodkin 2006). With its rays of sunlight comes hope that we will move forward together, collectively finding solutions to navigate our new reality. Inspired by the natural world, it’s fragility and our connections with it, I am experimenting with early processes including cyanotypes and salt printing. Returning to these first photographic processes and slow thoughtful image making helps to recreate a feeling of historical belongingness. Images in this collection include cyanotype prints toned with natural bush dyes.