moving landscape is a painting comprised of ten panels:
1."By design" 1863-1928
2."Effort" 1909-1918
3."Changing landscape" 1919-1928
4."News not muse" 1929-1938
5."Broken Promises" 1939-1948
6."Reds under beds" 1949-1959
7."Bitter Pill" 1959-1968
8."Maintain the rage" 1969-1978
9."No sleep at the wheel" 1979-1988
10."Time and pay disparate" 1989-2008
moving landscape reflects on the women's movement and the history of women's struggle for equality since the fight for suffrage. Fern Smith is a Merlynston-based artist who has held 17 solo and 18 group exhibitions since 1985. Her artworks are held in private collections nationally and internationally.
moving landscape was produced by Fern Smith in celebration of the 100 years of Women’s Suffrage in Victoria.
The palette of the work is inspired by the suffragists’ colours: white=women; green= get; purple=vote.
In the far background we see parliament house, starting with the Exhibition Buildings to the current Parliament House in Spring Street.
At the top are women who have entered Parliament: Peacock, Weber, Gole, Toner, Chambers, Baylor, Coxsedge, and Kirner.
Behind the main figures are interpretions of significant women artists work from each decade from 1928: these include Dorothea Black, Ethel Spowers, Joy Hester, Mirka Mora, Janet Dawson, and Angela Brennan.