I live on an Australian cattle station that is 1,028,960 acres OR 16,000 square miles, that sustains approximately 4,000 head of cattle. That's a lot of space for a few cows. Our cattle yards are waterholes, offering respite from the dry heat of the desert, and a place where the wildlife can congregate. Looking in the mud next to the troughs you can see prints of hooves, paws, claws – predator next to prey, carnivores next to herbivores – all creatures great and small need something to drink. You'll find this primal need in the great Savannah’s of Africa, or in the humble Red Centre desert.
The humans, however, don't need to drink from the yards. We use them as a trapping system to muster the cattle with minimal stress and manpower. When we're in the yards there is dust, running, shouting, clanging gates, excitement, and a certain tenseness in the muscles that comes from being on high alert for several hours. So what happens when we step away from them? What happens when the dust settles, when we stop making noise, when we're not chasing tails?
With this series, I wanted to explore the idea of how a very human infrastructure designed to trap and work cattle, becomes something else entirely for the wildlife or livestock occupying it. In order to do this, I would pick one lens and head to the yard – I'd often be sat still or hiding for long periods of time, and the animals get quite flighty if you start moving around changing lenses – and snap shots of general movements or life at the yards and their surrounds.
I discovered on this project that, as humans, we think we've mastered this working space – we think it's ours. We're very wrong. These water spots are homes, they're a safety line; a spot to bring your young, to let the herd watch your back whilst you drink, to take a break on a long walk. They're a piece of shade in 40 degree heat, a spot where the hunting and hunted are equal, a place for meeting, mating or playing. The bars, the metal and the concrete belong to us. The peace, tranquillity and sense of belonging are all theirs.
All photos in this series were taken at or around yards on Curtin Springs Station, NT.
