Sugaropolis

When researching about Mackay for my artist residency, I became drawn to the history of the area’s heritage listed buildings and the sugar industry. The architecture of historic buildings and homes stand as a distinct feature of Mackay, and I was drawn to Georgian (1830s) and Federation (1890-1914) styles due to their resonance with Japanese design aesthetics of harmony, symmetry and floral embellishments. These buildings have stood the test of time, and are a daily visual reminder for the town’s modern history, whilst accommodating Mackay’s continuing generations. I found the sugar history of Mackay provided a rich context to the development of environmental changes in the area, and its connection to the region’s Japanese labourers in the 19th century. As reported in The Mercury, 19 July 1898 ‘No one will regret more than the sugar growers themselves the necessity which compels them to employ Japanese labourers for the harvesting of their crops!’

With over 5000 acres of sugar cane fields by 1874 in Mackay, it is easy to understand how the region was producing over a third of the State’s sugar at this time. With factors such as land clearing for crops, to biological pest control measures with the introduction of cane toads in 1935 at a failed attempt to control the cane beetle grub infestation, sugar has in many ways, continued to impact the environment of Mackay.
Sugaropolis is an installation that incorporates Mackay’s architectural patterns from its beautiful buildings, with the molecular structure of sugar granules and microscopic images of the sugar cane plant, as a homage to the industry and the role it has played in history here. Using paper and paint, this installation draws upon two built environments which have continued to shape the land and the community.

Sugaropolis, 2020, series of three hand-cut polymer works, with enamel paint, commissioned by Artspace Mackay, 2020.

Photography: Elysha Rei, 2020