helen earl australian ceramic artist

I use the flannel flower, Actinotus helianthi as a symbol of my immediate locality as it grows naturally in surrounding bushland. For many years the flower was the logo of my local council, but somewhat symbolically of landclearing, disappeared recently in a rebranding of council. Along with other NSW plant species such as the waratah I used the flannel flower in the series of white porcelain works, Frozen Assests.

Frozen Assests highlights the importance of a biodiverse environment and represents the importance of PlantBank, located at the Australian Botanic Garden, Mount Annan, NSW in securing the continuity of Australian plant species.

Plantbank, an important scientific plant conservation facility has the goal to store seed or live tissue from all of Australia's plant species in climate controlled refrigerated vaults as well as be a research and education facility to share plant knowledge.The porcelain, white and vitrified, is like frozen snow suggesting how seed is stored around the world in facilities like Plantbank as an insurance policy to protect the biodiversity of the planet.