Colony I (detail)

Colony – several organisms of the same species living together for mutual benefit.

Colony II was a collection of mobiles installed on the verandah of Elizabeth Farm, Parramatta in 2007. The hundreds of small flying creatures created a moving ceiling, with their petal-like wings drifting and turning above visitor’s heads.

It is possible to develop a tendency to feel almost nostalgic for colonial times. Colony dispels the halcyon myth of colonialism, which was in truth an aggressive take over of land – land that already belonged to someone.

This colony of insects, like the European colony in Australia, has undergone a mass migration and transition followed by an aggressive presence in new territory. Both are societies in a constant state of re-grouping, reforming.