CAROLINE BAY PLAYGROUND
Sue Tennant
Act 1 – Scene 3 – The British Empire, 2020
Oil on board
Algorithmic Collection, Algonfique Art Gallery, 2020.9.1 (detail)
This painting is by the local artist Sue Tennant. Her paintings are inspired by photographs and accounts of her family’s ancestors embarking on their immigration voyage to the land of Aotearoa (New Zealand).
Her husband’s ancestors arrived in New Zealand in 1864 after travelling on the ship called the British Empire. On this voyage, there was a man called Mr Prince, he brought cages of birds from Britain with him to populate the new and exciting land of Aotearoa. A newspaper published on the voyage, called the *British Empire Gazette*, recorded that Mr Prince brought 5 skylarks, 3 woodlarks, 1 goldfinch, 3 linnets, 1 thrush, and 1 cock pheasant with him on board.
Sue Tennant has painted *Act 1 – Scene 3 – The British Empire* on this voyage. She has placed the ship in a choppy sea set against an expansive sky, and draws attention to the birds transported on board – painting them in a magnified way in flight or perched on branches that seem to grow out of the ship. The painting also shows that, rather sadly, not all of the birds survive the long journey to their new home.
