Catherine Mardell

Max Mueller’s burr daisy (Calotis pubescens)

fabric, beads, wire, embroidery thread

30 x 10 x 7 cm

Artist statement: Completing the replica of the Max Mueller’s Burr Daisy was a deeply poignant process for me. The idea that native wildflowers could cease to exist in nature because of the lack of human intervention to control feral horses filled me with a profound sadness. So I imbued my work with hope; hope that this plant and other unique organisms in the Australian Alps would be protected; hope that my grandchildren’s children and generations beyond would get a chance to enjoy the blooms in real life; and finally hope that the governments would commit to and mandate the ongoing control of feral horses in the high country of NSW and beyond