The Effect on a Butterfly, on display in the Fountain Court of NSW Parliament House from Monday 1 to Friday 26 February 2021.

The Effect on a Butterfly is the latest exhibition from Kay Lyon, an artist whose work is greatly influenced by her personal experience living on Sydney's Georges River. As Kay describes, this exhibition explores the decline of an area previously considered to be one of the greatest commercial producers of Sydney Rock Oysters in Australia. While Aboriginal middens along the bank of the Georges River contain oyster shells dating as far back as 6000BC, the entire oyster industry in southern Sydney was permanently closed in 1997 due to persistant water pollution. Kay explains:

'This area has been my home for a number of decades and about three years ago I observed that the red corrugated work sheds from the closed oyster industry were on the move. Timber pylons and old jetties were distorting with the twice-daily tidal flow. Using my camera, pen and paper, I have made recorded images of the last vestiges of this area. There are also images of birds, mangroves, magnificent mud and water reflections. In total, there is a collection of twenty one works, including some three-dimensional pieces.'

Visit the Fountain Court at the Parliament of NSW on weekdays, 9am-5pm. The Effect on a Butterfly is on show from Monday 1 to Friday 26 February 2021.

Learn about our exhibition spaces and how to apply to have your works displayed on our information page here