Exhibition dates: 6th May – 30th May 2009
Installation view of Jill Orr exhibition Faith in a Faithless Land at Jenny Port Gallery, Melbourne
First cab off the rank on a busy night of openings in Melbourne were the self-conscious photographs of Jill Orr presented at Jenny Port Gallery in Richmond, Melbourne (the gallery now in Collingwood). Beautifully hung in the gallery space in white frames the photographs were the least engaging artworks on the night. Their message seemed over determined, the use of reflection to add layering to the human-landscape mis en scene trite. Perhaps the performance itself would have evinced a more authentic, nuanced connection with the viewer vis a vis a response to the overwhelming expanse of nature and the place humans occupy on the thin crust of the earth. These photographs did not make that telluric connection and left me emotionally uninvolved in their pictorial representation.
Unfortunately I cannot show you any of the photographs because of copyright reasons but thank you to Jenny for allowing me to photograph the installation itself.
Dr Marcus Bunyan
Installation views of Jill Orr exhibition Faith in a Faithless Land at Jenny Port Gallery, Melbourne
Jenny Port Gallery
This gallery is now closed.
Art Blart 
I thought it was actually quite reasonable. It may take some imagination as everything always does (or its not really worth seeing) but it does communicate the message and if you go into intricate detail about possible meanings other then the idea of nature there is certainly more to the Work then what first appears. The umbrella on fire can be a comment on the discrimination of women or the effects of acid rain or even our use of fire and how close we come to harming ourselves (as a whole world not singularly). The salt water, Purity that isn’t quite pure. The outfit, the differing fashion compared to today, possible desire to revert to the past (ignorance), the motif of a struggle (she is wearing boots and a full outfit so it would be hot and hard to walk). The foot steps, travel, past, a path (follow my foot steps), steps towards various things (future, fashion, environment, understanding, technology). Black and white photos along with the colour, merging of the past and present while addressing the future, the stark contrast of the past with the present.
it wasn’t all bad. the frames were so u paid attention to the photographs, not how it looked on a wall. it simple for what is a complex message. it may seem easy to convey something like this but in reality it actually takes alot of time and endurance. imagine walking around, in a hot stuffy dress and bad boots in arid weather with a burning umbrella. most would give up pretty soon.
Jem~!