Artist Profile Dr Sherree Halliwell & Simon Van Der Spoel

Halliwell & Van Der Spoel affectingly weave together personal and environmental grief.

Artist Statement

In my digital exposition, I Must Care About The Environment, I explore the profound and painful intersection of personal and environmental crises. Through the lens of his camera, The Documentarian (my husband) captures the suffering of The Artist (his wife) as I perform a succession of escalating vignettes, each embodying a different environmental disaster, from raging bushfires to oil spills to melting icecaps. These performances are not just acts of artistic expression but also deeply personal reflections of our shared helplessness. As The Documentarian captures The Artist’s struggle, he is confronted with his own impotence—both as a husband unable to alleviate his wife’s suffering and as a man grappling with the overwhelming forces of environmental degradation.

Our artistic process is deeply collaborative and immersive, drawing on both our emotional responses and artistic instincts. We are driven by our vision to inspire a deeper understanding of our shared responsibility and resolution for systemic action. I meticulously craft my performance, incorporating elements of physical theatre and visual art. My husband captures my work with sensitivity and precision, documenting not only the visual spectacle but also the emotional undercurrents that drive the piece. Throughout this dynamic process, we remain attuned to the evolving nature of our project and each other, allowing for spontaneity and adaptation. This iterative approach ensures that our work remains authentic and resonant, reflecting the urgency and complexity of the environmental crises we seek to portray.

As I Must Care About The Environment unfolds, the viewer bears witness to my increasing desperation, distress and embodied dismantling, as I dramatize society’s devolution of environmental accountability. I juxtapose the universal scale of environmental disasters with the personal toll they take on individuals. This contrast underscores the helplessness and insignificance many feel in the face of such overwhelming challenges. Despite our efforts, the futility of individual actions against the backdrop of universal political inaction becomes evident. Through the lens of rote repetition pedagogy symbolized by the disciplining of beliefs and behaviours enacted by “lines”, I highlight the burden of environmental accountability instilled in us from a young age. The repeated line, “I must care about the environment”, which my escalating distress renders progressively incoherent, serves as a metaphor for the repetitive and systemically ineffective measures we as individuals take to resolve environmental issues. It highlights how our neo-liberal focus on individual actions teaches us to internalise responsibility at a young age, and distracts from the systemic changes needed at higher levels of political and commercial governance.

Embodying the devastation of environmental disasters is a physically and emotionally draining experience, requiring me to delve deeply into the pain and suffering associated with these events with an intensity that leaves me feeling vulnerable and undone. For my husband, documenting my suffering is equally challenging. He experiences a profound sense of helplessness, unable to shield me from the emotional and physical strain of my work. This helplessness is compounded by the broader impotence he feels in the face of environmental degradation, a crisis that seems insurmountable despite our best efforts. The act of documenting my performance becomes a way to process these feelings, transforming our shared pain into a call for awareness and action. Together, we navigate these emotional challenges, finding strength in our shared purpose and the hope that our work can inspire change. This project is not just an artistic endeavour but a deeply personal journey, reflecting our commitment to each other and to the urgent cause of environmental justice. We aim through this exposition to hold us all accountable, urging a collective awakening and meaningful change.

Artist Biography

Dr Sherree Halliwell

Sherree is a British/Australian multi-media artist. Professionally, she has made over 80 TV commercials and holds a doctorate in sociology/social policy. Early in her career, Sherree undertook an art residency in the UK, where she studied form and flow. This experience has significantly influenced her artistic style, which continues to explore the dynamic interplay between structure and movement. She retired from corporate life in 2023 to devote her energies to her creative practice.

Sherree’s art practice is diverse, encompassing performance, wearable art, and 3D renderings of literary landscapes. Her commitment to sustainability is evident in her use of eco-friendly materials and her efforts to raise awareness about environmental and societal issues through her screen and live performance art, which focus on exposing societal wrongs. Her embodied performances are powerful and thought-provoking, challenging audiences to reflect on important social issues.

Simon Van Der Spoel

In 2000 Simon took up a position as a Lecturer in Film and Screen Production at the University of Southern Queensland. This follows 18 years working in TV production as a director, producer, and camera operator, encompassing news, lifestyle, and documentary programming. His self-produced and directed historical documentary, Spitfire Guardians, was broadcast internationally on The History Channel. Simon teaches his students that the filmmaker’s voice can be a powerful catalyst for social justice and the change you want to see in the world.