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Finding beauty in the everyday

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Woman stands on beach and takes photo of ground
Finding beauty in the everyday

SUBJECTS:  Arts

YEARS:  5–6, 7–8


Lin Martin is passionate about the connections between science, nature, humanity and Buddhism, all of which come together in her art.

Her photographs explore the beauty all around us, in our everyday natural surroundings.

It is in these small moments captured by her work, where she draws attention to tiny details in nature, that our connection and place within the wider living world takes shape.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Close your eyes for a moment. When was the last time you stopped and took notice of something beautiful in the natural world around you? Was it big, or small? What colours and textures did it have? How did it make you feel about the world and your place within it?
  2. 2.Why does the notion of 'connection' matter to Lin Martin? What fascinates her? What two ways of looking of the world have been major influences on Lin's art?
  3. 3.Do you agree that 'humanity is really disconnected from the natural world and from their place in it'? Lin's art looks at small details of larger landscapes. What do you think she is trying to achieve in her work? Take a look around your environment (it doesn't have to be natural or outdoors) and find an example of beauty in the mundane. Describe what you see and why it is beautiful to you.
  4. 4.

    Think about the natural environment you encounter each day. Take a series of photographs or create a series of drawings in which you focus on small details you find in that environment. Write a reflection of 150 to 200 words on why you selected these particular details, and how connected you felt to this natural environment before and after creating these artworks.


Acknowledgements

With thanks to Lin Martin, Evangeline Cachinero and Nataija Brunovs.


Production Date: 2011


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Art and Design