Spend a minute at any one of Canberra's urban lakes, and you'll spot them. The graceful, slope-necked black swans. Cygnus atratus are a nomadic being, capable of flying long distances in search of a better life. And now they've found their way to the Melbourne Building.
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As a testimony to the birds' "constant presence at locations where the urban and natural environments entwine", local artist Genevieve Swifte has installed black-and-white images of the swans of Lake Burley Griffin on the exteriors of the Melbourne Building.
Swifte, a resident artist at the Ainslie and Gorman arts centres, specialises in feminist visuals and self-portraiture. Yet there's something about Canberra's black swans she finds captivating.
"I began photographing swans in 2014 as a part of my PhD research. These earlier photographs of specimens at the CSIRO’s Ornithological Collection were a response to Michelangelo’s lost painting of Leda and the Swan.
"As I continued to photograph the swans around the lake, the project became far more personal. As native wildlife, the significance of these birds far outstrips anything I might find in Renaissance painting."
The exterior walls of the building typically feature commercial advertising. The Cygnus Atratus series is the first of its kind.
"These new photographs respond to the behaviour of the birds. In part, there is their apparent friendliness, they greet you with a song and come very close expecting to be fed.
"While making the work, I was very surprised to find that people would frequently come down to the lake to feed bread to the birds, something that we know is harmful, especially to the developing signets.
"Though feeding birds is a very joyous thing to do, I hope the public installation might prompt people to take photographs as the perfect alternative, it’s a playful and harmless way to interact with our native wildlife."
Completed under the City Renewal Authority's City Grants Program, the project is also about accessibility.
"As the photographs are very much about Canberra’s environment, it was important for me that there be a sense of belonging.
"The photographs are installed outside Smith’s Alternative, a very welcoming place where they can be enjoyed by all members of the community, including those who might not encounter contemporary art in their daily lives."
The official launch of the exhibition will take place on February 7, 6pm, at none other than Smith's. All are welcome. The public are also invited to contribute their own photographs of birds in Canberra's urban environments by using Swifte's hashtag #wildswansurban.
