Local Mysteries
Window exhibition at The Little Ambo, The Old Ambulance Station in Namba/Nambour.
6th - 31st July, 2026.
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Local Mysteries
Statement by Grace Herrmann
"When it's over, I want to say: all my life I was a bride married to amazement. I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.” - Mary Oliver
One day I was at the Moffat Beach rock pools and came across a crowd of people standing around two teenage boys. The boys were pointing at a large pink starfish and reeling off facts:
Did you know starfish can sense when rough sea is coming and migrate into the protection of rock pools?
Starfish use a hydraulic system of seawater moving through an internal network to move their thousands of tiny tube feet!
I was enjoying the free seminar immensely when the boy’s mother came over and said, very patiently: ”Time to go, walking encyclopedias.” She dragged them away and the spontaneous crowd of random beach goers dispersed.
Our local coastal environment, be it the rock pools, mangroves or the coral reef, provides a wealth of inspiration. The more I learn about the interconnectedness and seemingly supernatural feats of organisms, the more I see the interconnection between myself and nature. It is an intensely joyful and curious feeling.
I imagine this is akin to the Overview Effect, the profound psychological shift experienced by many astronauts when viewing the tiny Earth suspended against the vastness of space. In that moment, the boundaries of individual identity dissolve, revealing a deep sense of empathy and connection with the world. Perhaps that shift in perspective does not require a journey into space. It can be experienced by paying close attention and respect to the interconnected natural systems that surround us every day.
The Maelstrom
A maelstrom is a symbol of chaos, transformation, and the unknown. It is threatening, destabilising, inescapable, and incomprehensibly deep. It is indifferent to humanity. You may pass through it, but many do not, and you will not emerge unchanged.
This work was created using a blade to cut and peel away layers of paper board until only a thin, translucent membrane remains. This is a reductive technique: the artist must take away from the substrate to create the work. The implication of destruction in the process is contrasted, in the finished work, by delicate patterning and subtle colouring. When viewed at night, light from behinds reveals the fragility of the material, illuminating the thinnest points of the carving.
The work visualises an internal feeling of impending turbulence and overwhelm.