Between Horizons | Jan Learmonth

The delightfully peculiar small sculptures, which constitute Jan Learmonth's most recent exhibition, Between Horizons, are scale models of fantastical watercraft, many with the appearance of mythical creatures.

The works are lashed, knotted, woven, and welded into being with natural and found materials gathered on Jan's travels around Gippsland. Their scale and intricate detail give them an intimacy, while their depiction of much larger objects suggests a degree of immensity. Each work appears to be in motion, en route. However, its purpose, origin, and destination are left tantalizingly unclear. None travel' with the speed or efficiency enabled by contemporary materials, technology, and fabrication techniques. Rather, they float, drift, or trudge, at a pace determined by their raw materials and the intricately patient detail of their making.

All carry a cargo, which both seems to adorn and burden the creature or craft. Some endure their load, some are ensnared by it, while others nurture their charge.

When viewing the works, the ambiguity of scale, the uncertainty of location and purpose together compel a quiet inquiry and contemplation. They each convey the long walks and intricate processes that brought them into being. As such, the works become a vehicle and platform for the artists thoughts and explorations of making, time, memory, and landscape.