Where Have All The Giants Gone?
- Cass Brooker
- Apr 5
- 1 min read
Scientists and artists have often talked about humans’ evolutionary interconnectedness with the natural world and the interactions between the geo and bio-spheres. I have always felt an affinity with the natural environment and after watching ‘The Giants’ film, I was horrified to learn that Tasmania’s ancient native forests and their complex, intelligent ecosystems were still being destroyed. I hope this 3 in 1 painting evokes similar emotions in viewers as they move past it and see pristine Tarkine/Takayna rainforest being destroyed, despite protective efforts of environmentalists.
Tasmania’s native forests and unique flora & fauna are its most valuable asset. The Tarkine/Takayna is the largest temperate rainforest in Australia and the second largest in the world. It provides vital habitat for a range of endangered species, is a place of significant Aboriginal history, and one of the last intact wilderness sites left on earth.
An educational resource in 1986 explained: “The trouble with rainforests is that if they are cut down, they never re-grow because the high rainfall erodes all the goodness out of the soil, and bushes like Lantana quickly cover the area before new trees can grow. Even the building of a road through the rainforest can have a disastrous effect”.
Ref photos: @bobbrownfoundation
The making of: ‘Where have all the Giants gone?’
This is a one minute stop motion video representing months of work, sweat, tears, swear words, mathematics, and problem solving.
