Group show in Tasmania

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'Littoral Map (Tasmania)' examines real and imagined locations and is conceived to help focus attention on the last remaining area of littoral forest in Southern Madagascar, which stretches for 70km on either side of Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro).

This is an on-going work which is being re-sited and re-drawn in mulitple locations, with each drawing reflecting each respective differences and locales.

Artist Statement

‘Littoral’ forest is a condition where forest is within a close proximity, about 4km, from the sea, and grows on sand.

Littoral Map (Tasmania) examines real and imagined locations and is conceived to help focus attention on the last remaining area of littoral forest in Southern Madagascar, which stretches for 70km on either side of Fort Dauphin (Tolagnaro).

This area is now threatened by an international mining project for the mineral Ilmenite, which will effectively destroy this unique habitat, which is home to many endangered species of plants and animals, including lemurs, all of which are endemic to Madagascar. The mineral Ilmenite is used to produce Titanium Dioxide, a whitening material found in paints, food and many toothpastes.

Littoral Map (Tasmania) uses aerial satellite images of Madagascar to make a scale drawing of this forest coastline, and generate instructions for re-scaling and transplanting this data to a drawing which traverses the interior and exterior of the Plimsoll Gallery in Hobart.

The coastline drawing uses site plans of the gallery building, to position the relocated and re scaled map, and then using elements within the building plan (walls, doorways, columns and floor dimensions), it measures and pinpoints a series of 20 specific points.

A Global Positioning System marks the 20 points after the drawing is made, and in parallel, two sets of longitudes and latitudes are written and straddle either side of the drawn line in the gallery; the actual locations of the drawn points within the gallery, in Tasmania, and each of the same points, but relating to the distant locations of the actual coastline in Madagascar – both sets of co ordinates real, but one present and one distant.

The drawing itself is made from chalk, with the mineralized and proposed mining areas being drawn using lines of squeezed white toothpaste.- The sounds played within the installation are recorded from within this specific area of threatened littoral forest area.

This area will be significantly changed by the mining project and will profoundly effect the regional Antanosy tribe, one of the poorest in Madagascar. I have volunteered with the charity Azafady,to go and work in this area from October 2006 for three months, working on projects in villages that range from Health Education, infrastructure and conservation.

The maps in the gallery, show the actual Madagascar coastline from satellite photographs, a plan of the gallery building in Tasmania, and a map from the mining company showing mineralized areas and their proximity to villages in the area. In reality the mineral is invisible to the eye, deep under the ground, actually present but almost imagined, the map of an invisible territory.

Madagascar is now considered to be one of the worlds ecological priorities, with 85% of it’s plant and animal species only found on this island, and an extremely high percentage of these are now endangered.

This artwork and drawn coastline is being made and performed in multiple locations across the world. I have made a series of 4 colour lithographs which a signed edition of 100.

Pete Gomes
2006

Curator:Vince Dziekan, Remote Exhibition site