In 2008 August Bing Dawe presented a series of works on paper as part of a Vinnies Art Box project as a way of demonstrating his creative process and allowing us, the viewer, to observe the development and expansion of his concepts for a new suite of sculptures.
Dawe says, “The concept behind this series is based on a narrative titled 'The Lighthouse Keepers Cat'. The story refers to the premature extinction of a rare endemic flightless wren. This small bird (Stephens Island Wren, Xenicus Lyalli) was discovered accidentally on Stephens Island, in the Marlborough Sounds, during construction and operation of the island’s lighthouse.
The lighthouse keeper’s cat killed and delivered the last remaining of these birds to the lighthouse keeper (David Lyall) over a short period of months. The exact account of this story is open for some conjecture (refer Wikipedia - Stephens Island Wren) but its more the essence of the story that interests me. The elements I am exploring and juxtaposing are the cat, the bird and the light from the lighthouse. I’m attracted to the irony of the lighthouse as a symbol or beacon to warn against tragedy, when a smaller, unseen tragedy was happening in its shadow. I will explore and develop the symbolism of these elements.
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