Phone Tree
[29 May – 22 August, 2026]
Gus Fisher Gallery, Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland
Phone Tree centres around moth traps that lure ‘pest’ species with pseudo-pheromones and catch them in nets or on sticky paper. These surveillance and control devices have been adapted for humorously different ends, reframing them as narrative holders which are interfered with by the moths themselves. Rather than destructive tools for determining the presence of a pest, the moth traps serve as inadvertent collectors of moth memory, drama, and dreaming.
All images courtesy Sam Hartnett
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Clothes moth: Water-jet cut and laser etched folded aluminium Demi-Diamond moth traps; cast polymerized plaster moth-eaten sweater holes; pigments; hand-made cotton torchon lace; cast pewter buttons, bannister brackets; second-hand leather gloves, silk taffeta, wool fabric, patent leather; cotton thread; deadstock sequins; used plastic bags; stainless steel bolts and nuts.
Pantry moth: Cast polymerized plaster Salada crackers, Nice and Super Wine biscuits; pigments; cast pewter penne, farfalle, rigatoni, cashews, rice crackers, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Milo cereal, almonds, drawer handle; epoxy; semolina; sawdust; stainless steel screws; folded aluminium shelf.
Guava moth: Cast silicon rubber; second-hand envelopes; cast pewter orange pips, feijoas, peach and peach pits; cast plaster orange peel; pigments; peach pits.
Spongy moth: Cast polymerized plaster trap; pigments; oak sawdust; epoxy; wire; cast pewter oak twigs, oak leaves, push pins; enamel paint; aluminium bracket; nylon cord; stainless steel screws.
Corn ear worm moth: Laser-cut leather trap; cast polymerized plaster sweet corn; pigments; corn silk; seed corn; popping corn; corn silk tassel; corn recipe images from secondhand cookbooks; cast pewter corn charm, popping corn, burlap bag; enamel paint; steel key ring; stainless steel bolts, nuts, washers; sisal rope; polyester thread.
Walls: Collaged and hole-punched tissue paper; hole-punched coloured paper, onion skins, risographed paper; tacks; Newspaper image of marble relief on the Portico della Concordia Augusta (Edificio di Eumachia), Pompeii, C.9 BC-22AD.