The Joondakammer contains various materials belonging to, or once found within, ecologies of the City of Joondalup. It contains a ‘Xylotheque’ or wood library of common trees as well as many materials collected from beaches, bush and wetlands. Objects were found by the artist in parks and gardens or donated by friends, naturalists and strangers she met. The sculpture includes an ‘EcoTV’ showing slow-moving scenes where Nature continues to exist and flourish. Some of the drawers are themed around fire, swamp, and keystone species. On the outside of the cabinet you can gently feel shells washed up on the beach. If you are lucky, you might hear Nature in the cabinet speak to you.

Phillips’ artworks are marked by a long-term interest in the relationships between humans and nonhuman others (rocks, plants, animals, places and processes). When she found out that the City of Joondalup did not have a museum, she proposed to modestly (and artistically) addressing this ‘missing’ public resource. The early history of museums included eclectic collections of natural and exotic materials housed in ‘cabinets of curiosity’ or ‘Wunderkammer’. These were structures where mineral and animal specimens and curious cultural items were combined into multifaceted displays.

The Joondakammer aspires to help the people of the City of Joondalup to develop a deeper sense of their past, through natural history. The design and contents of the artwork hark back to the early collections where natural history and cultural items were combined—and where wonder was often the primary motivation to collect. Phillips hopes this work conveys the wonder—and power—of more-than-human others, so that we can confidently, humbly and generously take part in the changes that we face in the future.