Ben Trupperbäumer (2016) 'Breaking (the) ice'. [Artwork]
Detail of 'Breaking (the) ice' by Ben Trupperbäumer. © Ben Trupperbäumer
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.
Reproduction of original newsletter covers by Ben Trupperbäumer. © Ben Trupperbäumer
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.
Folio colophon page by Ben Trupperbäumer. © Ben Trupperbäumer
Copyright protected. Not for download, reuse or distribution.
- Item Type
- Artwork
- Collection
- JCU Art Collection
- Location
- Townsville Campus Library
- Item Code
- ACC 2020_024.896
- Related Links
- Breaking (the) ice': large image view. Copyright protected'
- Reproduction of original newsletter covers: large image view. Copyright protected
- Folio Colophon page: large image view. Copyright protected
- NQH: 'Breaking (the) ice' [woodblock]
- NQH: Movement for Responsible Coastal Development Archive
- JCU Library News Blog Post: 50 Treasures
- Subjects
- art; 50 Treasures; environment; activism; politics; prints
Artwork Details
Printer: Ron McBURNIE
Born 1948, Bielefeld, West Germany
Title: 'Breaking (the) ice'Date: 2016
Series: Ben Trupperbäumer's Hand-carved Woodblocks and Woodcut Prints
Publisher: Monsoon Publishing
Medium: Woodcut print on Xuan China paper
Edition: 1/15
Dimensions: Image 10 x 12 cm ; Frame 68 x 52 cm
Credit Line:
Folio of woodcut prints using the blocks created by Ben Trupperbäumer. Printed and published by Ron McBurnie of Monsoon Publishing, Townsville. Donated to the James Cook University Art Collection by the Artists in 2018.
Summary
This item is one of our 50 Treasures: Celebrating 50 years of James Cook University.
Thomas Bristow answers the question 'Why is this significant?'
The Movement for Responsible Coastal Development (MRCD) was the first incorporated environmental organisation in Mission Beach, north Queensland.¹ Founded in 1990, success first came with a $3k grant from the Department of Environment and Heritage.
Ben Trupperbäumer provided visionary images and symbols communicating the movement's purpose for the bi-monthly newsletters and annual general reports distributed to all members, councillors, politicians, media outlets, like-minded community groups and scientific bodies. Frontispieces are embellished with naturalistic icons from woodblocks of ebony, gidgee, and sandalwood. Poetic titles articulate the inherent wisdom of the movement, including, 'Breaking (the) Ice', 'Return to the Beginning', and 'A Sense of Belonging'. The combination of geophysical image and text provides a spirited and cohesive aesthetic.
Readers are witnesses to political engagement processes driven by the fusion of scientific literacy and artistic vision. A glance at any one of the eight newsletters leads the reader to advance notification of workshops and conservation conferences alongside criticism, letters, cartoons, habitat descriptions, science reports, hyper-local journalism ('village views') and details of submissions to community groups, government bodies, heritage agencies and political parties. The newsletters provide summaries of community-based contributions to state governance (for example, to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Coastal Protection, the World Heritage Unit, the Department of Lands) and to meetings of minutes with Federal Ministers (as with the December 1990 meeting between MRCD and Bob Brown MP, Federal Minister for Transport). Often positive and exacting, news items and reports record such successes as the forcing of government to refuse Crown Land lease extensions and the re-inclusion of Crown Land into reserves or environmental parks. MRCD's rigorous lobbying for bylaws and special zoning areas helped to protect the internationally significant ecosystems of the Wet Tropics bioregion.
MRCD members were connected to John Büsst and Judith Wright, who are among the most important Australian activists of the twentieth century, renowned for protecting Queensland's coastal communities, and paving the way for the UNESCO World Heritage status that was later conferred on reef and rainforest systems. Inspiring artists and scientists alike, this item evidences the ways local groups can engage with Australia's malleable political mechanisms.
Additional Information
Thomas Bristow is an editor, researcher, and writer. He is editor in-chief of the journal Philosophy Activism Nature (PAN) and the environmental humanities series editor at Routledge (Literature, Media, and Culture). Thomas holds the positions of Honorary Fellow at University of Western Australia, Fellow of the Institute of Advanced Studies at University of London, and Roderick Research Fellow at James Cook University. He has written a monograph on poetry in the Anthropocene, co-edited The Cultural History of Climate Change and published over 30 pieces on the relationship between literature and the environment.
Collection access: Artworks from the JCU Art Collection are located in various public spaces across JCU's campuses in Townsville, Cairns, Mount Isa, Mackay, and Thursday Island. The collection offers students, visitors and staff the opportunity to enjoy, interact with and be stimulated by artworks which are integrated into their social and working environments. Enquiries about the art collection can be sent to artcollection@jcu.edu.au
Copyright Information
© Ben Trupperbäumer
References
1. MRCD was founded with ten members in April 1990; as many members of Mission Beach Protection Association transferred donations to MRCD and became members, by May 1990 there were more than two hundred people committed to arguing for the value of the environment, and disseminating relevant news environmentally responsible coastal development in their locality. In June 1994, C4: The Community for Coastal and Cassowary Conservation was the name given to the amalgamation of MRCD and The Consultative Committee for Cassowary Conservation.