Held by Time

2025

Linocut

103 × 140 × 4 cm

Carved over 130 hours, this linocut is hand-printed on handmade paper and lightly bonded to antique handwoven linen dated 1880. It depicts the Ellerslie Bridge, Victoria’s oldest surviving timber girder bridge, built in 1867. Once spanning the thunderous Hopkins River, the bridge now crosses a diminished, drought-affected stream. Its intact timber spans, cast-iron panels and refined stonework remind us that even amid environmental and structural decline, quiet beauty endures. Both bridge and linen were shaped by human hands within the same generation. Grounded in material history, Held by Time reflects on what we inherit and what we chose to preserve.