Field Naturalist Art Mali Moir and Ben Beeton

Aboriginal Art

::
Ravensthorpe Field Naturalist artwork for a proposed Genestreaming Journey Sculpture
This is a field naturalist artwork informed by the Ravensthorpe herbarium, the threatened and endemic plants of the Ravensthorpe Range, the ecology, geology and deep time history of the region. It is approximately 3 meters in height by 4.6 meters in length. It has been designed to be installed in 15 panels within a physical and an augmented reality Genestreaming Journey Sculpture which is a content contributor to a broader project.

Ravensthorpe Genestreaming Journey Sculpture Artwork by Mali Moir & Ben Beeton of the Art of Nature School
Step 1 – This project focuses on broadening an awareness of the ecology, geology and deep time history of the region through a contemporary field naturalist artwork which is displayed on a SciArt webpage with accompanying film clips and other resource material that inspired the artwork. This project has a strong conservation message. It is presented as a visual literacy resource tool about the region.
In this first step project we have explored and documented the ecology, geology and conservation actions that are taking place in the Ravensthorpe Range. Through consultation we have selected 15 families. 13 of the families have endemic plant species only found on the Ravensthorpe Range, this was informed by landscape ecologist Nathan McQuoid. We gave particular focus to threatened species.

Special thanks to the Ravensthorpe community for supporting the development of this project. Special thanks to The Ravensthorpe Herbarium, Gabrielle Major, Di Burton, Kier Douthie, Rosmary Jasper, Nathan McQuoid, Sue Leighton, Natalie Bell, Kingsley Dixon, Gary Muir, David Groombridge and Keith Bradby and the Gondwana Link team. The Art of Nature School feature online art courses created by Mali Moir and Ben Beeton. The Art of Nature School offered our nature journaling course to shire residence with several people accepting the offer and working towards the creation of the artwork that will be included in the final Genestreaming Journey Sculpture field naturalist artwork about the region. https://wildflowersravensthorpe.org.au/herbarium/

About Mali Moir – “For the past 25 years I taught students in botanical and scientific art thru the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne, I illustrated for the National Herbarium of Victoria and I was a museum expedition artist. I lead a 10 year group art project into arid Australia. I hold an adjunct position at the University of Western Australia”. https://www.malimoir.com.au/
About Ben Beeton – “During the past 15 years I have completed over 35 artist residency projects in partnership with conservation and eco-tourism organizations focusing on the ecology, geology and deep time history of natural systems. I have spent many years developing the Genestreaming toolkit for modeling the Tree of Life in new and innovative ways that we now use for our Genestreaming Journey Sculpture public art initiative. I worked at the Australian National University in the development of Genestreaming virtual reality teaching tools. I hold adjunct positions at the Australian National University and the University of Western Australia”.

In this artwork we have placed the plants in the panels in accord with the phylogenetic tree of shared ancestry. If a sculpture is created for this project the phylogenetic tree will determine the sequence in which the families are displayed. In the project we used a map of the region as a contributing element. The plants are not displayed in accord to where they may be found in the landscape due to the importance of arranging them in accord the the phylogenetic tree as seen below.






























Consolidated List of ARTWORK -Plant Families nominated by Landscape Ecologist Nathan McQuoid and Ravensthorpe Community- Order of families for artwork, 15 families, one on each of the 15 panels.
1. Orchidaceae: 115 = P1 = 2 sp
Rhizanthella johnstoni (syn. gardneri) from internet photo
Pterostylis Greenhood from Ben photo
2. Cyperaceae: 156 = P2 = 3 sp
Lepidosperma sanguinolentum Rosemary Mali Ben 29.5.22 Kier’s property fresh collection
Gahnia ancistrophylla Rosemary Mali Ben 29.5.22 Kier’s property fresh collection
Sedge species Rosemary Mali Ben 29.5.22 Kier’s property fresh collection
3. Proteaceae: 175 = P3 = 5 sp
Grevillea patentiloba subsp. platypoda Di 21.5.22 fresh collection
G. sulcata Rosemary 31.5.22 fresh collection
G. fulgens Rosemary 14.6.22 fresh collection
Isopogon sp. Di 21.5.22 fresh collection
Banksia corvijuga internet photo
4.Dilleniaceae: 181 = P4 = 2 sp
Hibbertia abyssus D.Little 3.3.2012 Hallys orebody Ravensthorpe. Pressed collection.
H. atrichosepala internet photo Florabase 2
5. Fabaceae: 201 = P5 = 6 sp
Acacia bifaria Rosemary 21.5.22 fresh collection from her property
A. heterochroa subsp. herterochroa Mali Ben 19.6.22 fresh collection
A. myrtifolia Rosemary 31.5.22 fresh collection
A. pinguiculosa subsp. pinguiculosa Rosemary 31.5.22 fresh collection
A. sp. Rosemary 31.5.22 fresh collection
Daviesia megacalyx Rosemary Mali Ben Ron 14.6.22 fresh collection
6. Rhamnaceae: 208 = P6 = 3 sp
Cryptandra craigiae Craig 10103 01/07/2016 RAV Herbarium collection
C. sp. Rosemary 31.5.22 fresh collection
Spyridium majoranifolium Rosemary Mali Ben Ron 14.6.22 fresh collection
Siegfriedia darwinioides Rosemary 24.6.22 fresh collection
7. Casuarinaceae: 217 = P7 = 1 sp
Allocasuarina hystricosa internet photo
8. Euphorbiaceae: 242 = P8 = 1 sp
Beyeria villosa Craig 6084 30.4.2004 RAV Herbarium collection 3
9. Myrtaceae: 281 = P9 = 13
Calothamnus roseus Rosemary 1.6.22 fresh collection
C. quadrifidus Rosemary 1.6.22 fresh collection
Hoppergram = Eucalyptus desmondensis, E. desmondensis x occidentalis, E. occidentalis all Kier 22.5.22 fresh collection from her property
E. megacornuta Kier Mali Ben 22.5.22 fresh collection
E. mcquoidii Nathan 14.6.22 fresh collection from Bremer Bay home
E. proxima E. kessellii E. salubris E. tetraptera Kier fresh collections 23.6.22
Hypocalymma jessicae Rosemary 1.6.22 fresh collection
Micromrytus navicularis Rosemary Mali Ben 14.6.22 fresh collection
10. Gyrostemonaceae: 328 = P10 = 1 sp
Gyrostemon sessilis M. Bennett 747 16/06.2003 RAV Herbarium collection
11. Malvaceae: 309 = P11 = 2 sp
Guichenotia anota internetphoto
G. apetala internetphoto, dissections Rosemary 17.6.22 fresh collection
12. Ericaceae: 403 = P12 = 3 sp
Styphelia epacridis Rosemary Mali Ben Ron 14.6.22 fresh collection
Brachyloma geissoloma Rosemary Mali Ben Ron 14.6.22 fresh collection
Acrotriche orbicularis RAV Herbarium collection. Rosemary fresh collection
13. Goodeniaceae: 458 = P13 = 2 sp
Dampiera deltoidea E Tink 332 25/10/1998 RAV Herbarium collection
Lechenaultia superba Graham Richardson 14.6.22 fresh collection from Hopetoun home
14. Pittosporaceae: 471= P14 = 2 sp
Marianthus mollis internet photo. Dissections J Hill 2 02/12/1998 RAV Herbarium collection
Billarderia bicolour Kier 5.6.22 fresh collection
15. Lamiaceae: 432 = P15 = 1 sp
Microcorys pimeleoides internet photo