ART / PHOTO / STORY / MOTION

I'm a diverse visual practitioner, storyteller, cinematic artist, activist and shameless tree hugger.

 

I create worlds full of beautiful, hybrid, abject monstrosities that seduce, beguile and disturb. I am fascinated by myths that demonise difference and work in distorted realities, combining digitally manipulated, hyper-real photographs of under-represented native forests and swamps, with the audio of human consumption and uncanny, suggestive motion design to create immersive, compulsive, kairological Sisyphean cycles to celebrate diversity. These artworks are a playful exploration of dominant non-indigenous cinematic myths which cast the Australian landscape as villain and crimescene such as 'Picnic at Hanging Rock' (Weir, 1979).

 

My work draws on the theories of Julia Kristeva (Powers of Horror, 1980), Barbara Creed (The Monstrous-Feminine, 1993), Maureen Murdock (The Heroine's Journey, 1990) and Mykaela Saunders (Everywhen, 2022), and interrogates how Abjection on screens defines social norms. Below is a pdf of my current cv and artist statement, go to my linked in page to read a detailed work history and visit my vimeo page to see my artworks, TV and motion design.

 

Born on the Victorian wheatbelt on the lands of the Tyatyalla and Wotjobaluk people, my mother was Anglo Australian and my father was Māori (Waikato, Ngāti Whāwhākia, Tainui.) I have travelled, lived and worked all over the world. I am a NeuroDivergent, NonBinary Lesbian of colour currently live and work on the lands of the Muwinina people in Hobart/nipaluna Tasmania after almost 20 years on the lands of the Turrbal and Yuggera people in South East Queensland.

 

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Download
Merri's current CV
MerriRandell-cv-2023+Tune-in+.pdf
Adobe Acrobat Document 148.8 KB
 Photographer: Katie Bennett
Photographer: Katie Bennett