“Faraway Gums” is a tribute to the awe-inspiring beauty and remarkable resilience of the Sydney Red Gum, also known as Kajimbourra, and Angophora Costata.

These gum trees possess a regenerative ability that defies belief, and their twisted silhouettes bear witness to the turbulence of nature. The scars of lightning, fire, and insect carvings have become haunting ghost limbs and misshapen bumps that are rugged yet graceful- each telling a unique story that has unfolded over centuries.

Named in reference to British author Enid Blyton’s well-known collection of children’s books, The Faraway Tree, This series aims to capture the wonder and mystery of these majestic trees, inviting the viewer to experience them in a whole new youthful way. It is a documentation of natural history, a fresh perspective on the earth that is magical, mesmerising and alluring.

Exploring beyond the familiar and searching for new, hidden perspectives and strange beauty, these majestic trees were captured using a special full spectrum camera (infrared) that sees wavelengths invisible to the human eye. The magenta/ red hue is the reflection of infra-red light combined with a portion of visible light in the 590 nm (nanometer) - 1000nm range.

‘The Faraway gums’ is part of an ongoing photographic series capturing the Kajimbourra tree.
This non narrative film was primarily shot between December 2018 and March 2020, from the period of the drought and bushfires (Late 2019), through to the rains and the magical bark shedding in its aftermath (Oct 2020). All captured with a mix of infrared and visible wavelengths ranging from 550nm to ~ 720nm

Unrated
Country | AUSTRALIA
Running Time | 15 Minutes. 2023 Version
Running Time | 11 Minutes. 2020 Version
Aspect Ratio | Portrait and Square
Available for Licence

In 2023 'Faraway Gums' was licensed by the City of Sydney as part of its Creative Hoarding program. The program was created to inject more art to the streets of Sydney and bring creativity into the everyday. It provides artwork for developers to use in high traffic areas throughout inner city regions of the City of Sydney council.