Archana Hande, The Golden Feral Trail (2013-14)
Artist: Archana Hande
Work: The Golden Feral Trail (2013-14)
Location: Laverton, Western Australia
Resulting from Archana Hande’s six-month residency in the remote community of Laverton, The Golden Feral Trail reflects local oral histories and charts the historical relationship between South Asia and Western Australia. Using photography, archive documents, animation and installation, Hande explores issues of religion, trade and migration through the early Afghan pioneers of the region and the identity politics associated with their transnational movement. The work references 19th-century trade and migration routes linking Laverton and Coolgardie to Asia, traces of which Hande sees remaining in the landscape — in cemeteries, ghost towns, mining pits and archives. The Golden Feral Trail transforms the West Australian horizon into a screen displaying stories of nomadism, economic relations, and loss of cultural identity.
