Liminal Leaves was a site-specific work was installed at Retford Park (in Bowral, NSW) in 2021 that explored pollination and the interdependence of living systems by asking: what happens when nature is stripped of its pollinating potential?

Jess sourced local eucalyptus branches, sanitised and then spray-painted them white, transforming living plant material into something sterile, altered and disconnected from its ecological function. The branches were suspended and connected by red thread, a symbol of the unifying life force that once connected them to the broader living system.

Suspended in position, the branches featured discrete text written on their leaves. The words invited audiences to look more closely at what has been rendered inert and to consider what is lost when natural processes are interrupted or erased.

In removing the ability for nature to pollinate, Liminal Leaves was a reflection on ecological disruption and the consequences of human intervention.

Liminal Leaves was presented as part of X Pollination with the Artists of the Round Yard at Retford Park.