2000 Bye Bye Sunfly

'Bye Bye Sunfly and the Auditor in Loophole Land

Exhibition at The Rocks in Sydney August 2000

Opened by Paul Clitheroe

See below for exhibition images

'Bye Bye Sunfly and the Auditor in Loophole Land

Exhibition at The Rocks in Sydney August 2000

Opened by Paul Clitheroe

In this little Norton tale, Norton invents a story based upon a real story told to her by her accountant about a government tax representative whose task was to go out to the Fitzroy Crossing area and 'document' the various nomadic residents. He was extremely frustrated by the very different 'cultural' priorities he encountered. What was important to him had no portent to the residents.

In the story, Sunfly is an aboriginal woman, organic, realistic, dusty, and sensuous. The Auditor meets an already powerful corporation in the world, Mother nature. She is making a come back and threatens the existing throne sitters with a few important proverbial statements and images. Eventually the Auditor sees the futility of his attempts to capture Sunfly's record of existence, and surrenders to a different outcome himself.

Final Letter from the Auditor to the GM

How long will it take for me
To regain my soul
And bring my housebound eyes to see
What calls, then screams
And beats and pulses
My prison built from means
Is my own construction of mind
Strangling, suffocating
The bottom I will never find
My chains are from atoms of steel
My rescue imperative
Will only be carried out by feel
We do it to ourselves
She waits all the time
While we grovel and fight for wealth
Barrels of gold and buckets of deeds
Fed me not
In my hours of need
Spotter! … eagle over yonder
Draw back your talons
And pierce my heart back to wonder
Slam your wind and scent
Through my hair, my nose, my eyes
And make your cape of stars my tent
I want you back to transfuse
The tar my blood has become
To salt and red that I can use
Push me into the dirt
Mount me, Cover me, take back
The back from my shirt
Helen Norton Aug 2000