Bundanon

Tully Arnot’s practice explores non-human forms of consciousness, specifically focussing on the sensory systems and methods of perceiving the world that are utilised by plants, microorganisms and other organic entities.

Working across mediums and often involving interdisciplinary collaboration, Arnot has exhibited extensively internationally and across Australia, and undertaken numerous residencies and research projects.

Recent career highlights involve participating in the 11th Asia Pacific Triennial in 2024-25, exhibiting across Queensland Art Gallery and the Gallery of Modern Art; exhibiting at Para Site, Hong Kong in 2024; being awarded the 2022 ACMI Mordant Family VR Commission, collaborating with evolutionary ecologist Monica Gagliano; presenting work in the 2019 Coventry Biennial; and exhibiting at Kunsthalle Bremen in 2018.

Since mid 2022, Arnot has been based in Hong Kong, working as a PhD Fellow with Professor Zheng Bo at the School of Creative Media, CityU HK.

In Residence at Bundanon

Overall my practice seeks to integrate scientific and philosophical understandings of plant perception. Recently my research has shifted to working with astrobiologists to explore the residues of the origin of life in stromatolite fossils, as well as other perspectives on geological sentience.

At Bundanon, I’ll focus on the thresholds between these areas of interest, looking at epilithic lichens as physiological and metaphorical examples of mutualistically integrated ways of life, and how the temporalities of lichen can question human-centric ontologies. This will include general field research as well as LIDAR scanning of lichens, lithic substrates and other organic matter.