Top Arts: VCE 2005

What links all my works is the beauty of everyday things found in the urban jungle. Whether it is an image captured in a split second on camera or a collage of introduced physical textures on a photographic image, I wanted to show how we pass unnoticed beauty every day. This unmanipulated print of an elevator lobby in the Tribeca Grand Hotel, New York, is both odd and intricate. I shot to include a door closing and a figure rushing. The image is rich in texture and colour. I wanted to capture the transitory nature of an elevator lobby – no one stays for long, everyone is rushing to come or go.

Describe the Ideas behind your work short-listed for Top Arts.

What links all my works is the beauty of everyday things found in the ‘urban jungle’. Whether it is an image captured in a split second on camera or whether it is a collage of introduced physical textures to a printed photographic image. I was trying to show how we pass this unnoticed beauty everyday and that sometimes we should just stop and look around at all the amazing things that have been created either through urban decay or purposely designed buildings.

What were your starting points? Where did your inspiration come from?

What initially gave me inspiration to take up the camera was walking the streets of New York City and finding beauty wherever I looked. I was there with my camera six months later and took around 500 shots

What media/materials did you select and why?

Photography has always interested me and this was a fantastic opportunity to experiment with the art form. I prefer to take a photograph and then print it (darkroom or ink jet) and then experiment with how I could enhance an image through bizarre mounts. One of my resolutions was to the work Window,which uses the frame of a window as its frame. I even added a wooden blind to enhance this notion of peering through the window to look at what is inside.

How did new technologies influence your ideas or working methods?

I prefer the traditional black and white photographic process (which has not changed much in the last two decades) however I did move to digital imaging and scanning my Black and White negatives into the computer. I did not use Photoshop to enhance or alter my works. My blurred images have been created through good timing of the SLR shutter and timing at the actual point when I took the photograph.

What challenges/difficulties, if any, did you encounter in producing your work?

More than the camera, the darkroom itself requires a unique combination of creative and technical skills. The photograph has already been taken; the negative must now be enlarged and the printing paper must be processed. I’ve set up a little darkroom in the bathroom – I’ve made it so I can easily dismantle it when someone needs to use it. The windows are blacked out with curtain material, I had to be meticulously clean and make sure there are no light leaks. I’m yet to master the combination of filters, ‘F’ Stops, exposure and processing. If I’m really careful when using test strips to determine correct exposure, I can achieve a good result.

Were there any influences from other sources that were significant in the production of your work, e.g. literature, media, historical, or political events? How did this impact on the development of your work?

I was fortunate to travel regularly with my parents. I spent a lot of time in foreign countries, the majority of that time in Canada and the USA. I saw many galleries (MOMA – NYC) and I was always fascinated by all these new sights – I guess that’s when I learnt to ‘see’. By this I mean that I was able to look everywhere and be able to find some element of beauty that would not generally be appreciated by a local who passes that place everyday. The good thing is, I come back home, and I can still ‘see’. It’s just a matter of clearing your mind and living in the moment. The other major influence is theatre. My mother directs both film and theatre. Often as a small child, I’d be at the theatre more than at home. I think the presinium arch has had a profound effect on me. A play would always be ‘framed’ by the presenium. I now go to great lengths to create that same effect on my photos.

Were there any ethical or moral issues or concerns evident in your work?

No ethical or moral issues per se, but I think my personal quest to discover beauty and aestheticism in every day objects is a quality that could be emulated throughout society. We have moved further and further out of touch with the basic beauty that is everywhere. We are all so busy and pre-occupied that life passes us by.

What resources did you access, e.g. libraries, galleries, newspapers, magazines, art programs, websites, films, events and performances?

I went to quite a few commercial galleries including Flinders Lane Gallery, Anna Schwartz Gallery, 101 Collins, Gallery Gabrielle Pizzi and Nellie Castan Gallery

What exhibitions did you see in 2005? Was there a specific exhibition that influenced the development of your ideas and working methods?

I saw Grotesque, Dutch Masters at the NGV and went to most of the small commercial galleries in the city. The monsters and mythological creatures shown in Grotesque in some way pushed my feeling that anything can be shown in art. My work is not exactly a common photographic technique and I was always slightly uneasy about the fact that there were not many examples of that type of technique around. I do remember seeing the Pollock Exhibition in 2004 and his work was astounding. His major piece on exhibition, ‘Blue Poles: Number 11’ shows how abstract composition and colour is able to come together to form a masterpiece. I like to think I am a more abstract photographer.

Did you see Top Arts 2004? If so what was your response?

No, unfortunately I did not.

Did you consider presentation and conservation issues in the process and production of your work?

I was not thinking about presentation when taking my images however once I had the prints I was able to start experimenting with different types of mounts/ presentation styles. Conservation, whilst not important to me at the time, now is of crucial importance – I want my work to have longevity; for the prints to have as long a life as possible.

What advice would you give to students undertaking Art or Studio Arts?

Make sure you don’t leave things to the last minute. I saw many of my friends cramming. I f you are consistent and start thinking about your work brief in your first lesson than slowly add to your folio as the semester goes then you will have a more satisfying and comfortable artistic journey.

What were the highlights of your studies in 2005?

Looking back on how much I have improved and creating a final body of work I am extremely proud of.

Are you planning to pursue a career in the arts?

I have not completely made up my mind yet however Photography at RMIT is something I am considering. I have made up my mind however that I want a camera around my neck as much as possible for the rest of my life.

What are you doing in 2006?

This year I am deeply regretting not taking another art subject. It’s a case of not realising how much something is a part of you until you no longer have it. Taking Studio Art in Year 11 as my Year 12 subject was one of the best moves I have ever made. It helped me discover more about myself and my view of the world as I explored artistic expression. Although I don’t take any art subjects at school I try to wander about with my camera as much as possible in my free time (unfortunately there isn’t a lot of it). Overall I do want to say that I am extremely proud of the work I created in 2005. My teachers Cat Poljski and Paul Baxter were always supportive and without their guidance I would not have been able to produce the work I did in 2005.

When I was sixteen, a speech by Julian Burnside gave me an insight into the horrifying reality of mandatory detention in Australia. It inspired me to create a work that attempts to illustrate the impact of this inhumane system on refugee children. I created sixty-eight dolls, one to represent each child in detention in June 2005. I printed on each doll with different linocut designs, sewed, stained and stuffed them to emphasise their individuality. The surface treatment gives them a distressed appearance to reinforce the shocking treatment that the children have had to endure.

Describe the Ideas behind your work short-listed for Top Arts.

I have created a series of dolls to highlight the true and horrendous nature of mandatory detention. Each of the 68 dolls represents a child that was in mandatory detention in June 2005. Ironically their appearance is not typical of a doll, their pained expressions and weathered appearance emphasising the effect detention has on children.

What were your starting points? Where did your inspiration come from?

In 2003 I heard a speech by Julian Burnside who gave me an insight into the true nature of mandatory detention. He told us a story about a ten year old girl who, while being in mandatory detention for a number of months attempted to hang herself. This was just one of the tragically touching stories that opened my eyes, and filled in me an anger and passion that I felt had to be expressed. I was also inspired by other protest artists such as Mike Parr, Kathe Kollwitz and Kate Durham. Parr and Durham were artists that directly created protest art that reflected the situations of refugees. Durham believed that the public needed to see images of these people in order to empathise with them, so she created a series of small images which each illustrated a refugee. This was one factor that influenced the creation of each individual doll in my case. In the case of Mike Parr I was fascinated by the extreme measures and the shock tactics he employed in order to create his political works. In one work Parr sat in an empty gallery for hours with his face stitched together and the word alien branded on his leg, mirroring the acts of refugees. I thought that these shocking images were incredibly powerful and left such an imprint on your mind that I wanted to include shocking imagery in my work. This I feel is reflected in the pained and worn bodies of my dolls.

Kathe Kollwitz was a major influence to me because of her highly expressionistic and emotional style of protest art. Her dark wood cuts and drawings are highly evocative, and speak of the horrors of her times, the world wars. One of her most powerful ways of doing this was to illustrate the parting of mother and child, through death. I wanted to take her highly emotive approach and apply it to the tragedies of my own modern age, using my dolls as a universal cry to all mothers and children

What media/materials did you select and why?

I used calico and lino printing so I was able to create large numbers of dolls. I also used different threads, materials, scraps, and stained with coffee in order to individualise each doll, so they’re each appreciated as single beings.

The weathered and eerie appearance of my dolls originated early in my folio as drawings. I then began to experiment by creating lino prints out of my images; I was interested to see my drawings transferred to a simpler form. Because I naturally draw in a sketchy style I didn’t feel too restricted by using a cutting motion to recreate my images. It was then just a natural progression for me to delve into sculpture. I wanted my images of people to be physically real, there is something very detached and sterile about two dimensional works, they seem to be in a different world to that of the audience, and I wanted my works to be a reality, to have a physical presence in space. Only in this situation could I evoke the sympathy that I wanted.

How did new technologies influence your ideas or working methods?

When I decided that I wanted to create an artwork that required repeated, or a large amount of images I knew that printing was perhaps the most suitable option. Lino printing attracted me the most because of the physical hands on process that I needed to create each one. There is also a connection between the actions of cutting into the lino, which is a link to the act of cutting or self harm undertaken by many refugee children. I was inspired by Kathe Kollwitz (who did a lot of wood cuts) and felt that this was the best printing material for me to use.

What challenges/difficulties, if any, did you encounter in producing your work?

Because of the large numbers of dolls I wanted to create time was always a challenging factor. I had to work many long hours printing and stitching and sewing my dolls.

Were there any influences from other sources that were significant in the production of your work, e.g. literature, media, historical, or political events? How did this impact on the development of your work?

My work is specifically based on one of Australia’s current political policies, indefinite mandatory detention.

I am still very interested in creating works that have a politically based agenda, concentrating especially on issues that are strongly evident in Australia, such as the treatment of Indigenous people. And of course I will continue to express my frustrations at the current system of mandatory detention, which recently has practically disappeared from the public eye.

I believe it is incredibly important for artists to use their art as a vehicle to promote political awareness. “Artists are the proverbial canaries in the coal mine, when they start singing it’s a sure sign of tough times ahead”. This is the way I see political art, and perceive its importance. Political art is a powerful way to draw attention to an issue, to act as a warning and one that is likely to attract the attention of the general public and therefore be listened to.

Also, looking just in the perspective of an artist, it is also a way to bring passion to your work. For example the only way I managed to create a work of such expanse is because I felt great passion and great anger at the current state of this particular issue, and this was a catalyst to push me. And if you make an artwork with passion it will shine clearly through and the viewers will sense this passion and be able feel for the work as you do.

Were there any ethical or moral issues or concerns evident in your work?

Yes I want my dolls to play on the public’s political conscience and whether they believe that detaining children is morally right.

What resources did you access, e.g. libraries, galleries, newspapers, magazines, art programs, websites, films, events and performances?

I used a variety of sources such as articles from the Age, the ‘Chilout’ (children out of detention website) and information from libraries. I also attended a movie called Letters to Ali about a young refugee boy. I looked at the websites for past Top Arts exhibitions.

What exhibitions did you see in 2005? Was there a specific exhibition that influenced the development of your ideas and working methods?

James Gleeson, Colin Suggurt, McCLelland Sculpture Award, Bill Henson, and Top Arts.

Did you see Top Arts 2004? If so, what was your response?

Yes the quality of the work was very high. Although I was surprised at the lack of sculpture works on display, they seemed to be overwhelmingly 2D works.

Did you consider presentation and conservation issues in the process and production of your work?

I considered very carefully the presentation of my dolls. I wanted my dolls clustered together, against a wall, as if cowering out of fear. I also wanted them closely packed together emphasising their numbers and poor conditions lived in.

What advice would you give to students undertaking Art or Studio Arts?

You should always be aware of timeframes. Even though there may seem to be plenty of class time to finish your works, realistically it is a strain near the end to complete it all.

What were the highlights of your studies in 2005?

Finishing my 68 dolls.

Are you planning to pursue a career in the arts?

Yes, hopefully after finishing an art course at university I will be able to become a practicing artist.

What are you doing in 2006?

This year I am doing a Bachelor of Fine Arts, Sculpture at the Victorian College of the Arts.

Goya inspired both technique and concept in all of my works and I created Homage to Goya in recognition of this. I have attempted to be very loose, almost out of control with my line of work and aquatint. I played with the idea of my hair being tangled around objects and this entanglement symbolised my feelings of entrapment and struggle. I extended this idea by exploring the haphazard nature of the unconsciousness mind and the inability to think rationally while asleep.

Describe the Ideas behind your work short-listed for Top Arts.

Goya’s etching The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters was the main source of inspiration this year. Not only the aesthetic qualities of the cloud- like effect of the birds behind the figure, as I replicated with bugs, or the heavy use of linework, when creating tone and shadow. It is conceptually fascinating and in recognition of this I created ‘Homage to Goya’ and ‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters 4’ was an extension of my focus of vulnerability of the unconscious mind. The small solar etching of a scene taken from a traditional nursery rhyme book of Little Red Riding Hood is an exploration of the fear that traditional nursery rhymes instils in children. What I was most intrigued with was how violent and sinister nursery rhymes actually are, after looking past the glossy surface of a cute child or the romanticized surroundings, and how fearful experiences have an effect in a person long after childhood.

What were your starting points? Where did your inspiration come from?

The concept of basing my works on Goya was essentially a progression from Year 11(Unit 2). Last year I began to play with the idea of my hair being tangled around objects such as a shark cage and this entanglement portraying my feelings of entrapment and struggle. So this year I chose to keep with the “hair” idea, but moved more towards the complex notions of the loss of control of the unconscious mind, and while asleep the loss of the ability to think rationally.

What media/materials did you select and why?

In art this year I explored various types of etching. Because I liked the effect of black ink and fine liner, mixing together with water, I decided that etching would best replicate this. ‘Homage’ is an etching and aquatint. Heavily diluting the bitumous paint with turps, created a loose, runny effect that moved freely around the copper. I like this in contrast to the dark scribbly lines, as it creates an interesting surface. Sleep of reason 4 incorporates both solar etching and etching and aquatint. By solar etching the Little Red Riding Hood image, it enabled me to show another form of etching and capture the intricate detail of the traditional engraving. When talking about traditional I mean the already existing technique used to engrave the nursery rhyme illustration.

How did new technologies influence your ideas or working methods?

New technologies didn’t play a major role in my work however solar etching is a relatively new form of etching. I was interested in demonstrating both traditional and non traditional forms of etching. I also liked the idea of applying a new technique on the traditional engraving.

What challenges/difficulties, if any, did you encounter in producing your work?

Etching can be extremely tedious. It is often hard to judge how long to leave the plate in the ferric chloride, too long and the plate’s aquatint becomes to dark. When altering Homage the background became very dark after the initial first print. Wiping back the ink was a challenge also. In Sleep of Reason the solar etching was difficult. It was hard to judge whether just enough ink had been wiped back to reveal, just enough lighter shades to contrast the dark.

Were there any influences from other sources that were significant in the production of your work, e.g. literature, media, historical, or political events? How did this impact on the development of your work?

Both literature and history influenced me to a degree (in terms of the traditional nursery rhymes), but essentially I was exploring fear in my own mind and applying that toward the already existing nursery rhymes. I wouldn’t say this made a dramatic impact to the development of my work, as both my own exploration, with the initial influence resulted only in progression, not to change my work as such.

Were there any ethical or moral issues or concerns evident in your work?

Goya’s work was my main influence, and although it was the conceptual aspect that I was particularly fascinated by, in Homage I also wanted to express my appreciation for the processes of etching, and how this traditional technique is as effective now as it was when it was first begun.

What resources did you access, e.g. libraries, galleries, newspapers, magazines, art programs, websites, films, events and performances?

• Libraries, Monash University for Red Riding Hood Image
• Nursery Rhyme books
• Art books
• Etchings on websites, including the NGV.

What exhibitions did you see in 2005? Was there a specific exhibition that influenced the development of your ideas and working methods?

I attended Top Arts but nothing specific influenced my ideas or working methods.

Did you see Top Arts 2005? If so, what was your response?

Yes, Incredible diversity of images. I was particularly influenced by the etching works

Did you consider presentation and conservation issues in the process and production of your work?

Yes I used acid free paper and good quality etching ink.

What advice would you give to students undertaking Art or Studio Arts?

If you are after a good result, it is vital you become very absorbed in your art, and strive to keep developing and improving.

What were the highlights of your studies in 2005?

Being short listed for Top Arts, winning the Deakin University art competition that Warrnambool organised to celebrate talent across the district and acquiring important skills for my art in the future

Are you planning to pursue a career in the arts?

At this stage yes, Visual arts secondary teaching.

What are you doing in 2006?

I plan on deferring and working in both Queensland and Melbourne so I can decide where I would like to attend university.

At the moment I am working in Coolangatta Queensland, but I am keen to do some overseas travel at the end of the year. I’ve decided I’d like to attend University in Melbourne next year in 2007.

Chains is created from felt which I made by hand. It was moulded around my head. This sculptural work was part of an autobiographical series of hats about my inner emotional life. This hat represents carrying a burden and weight around with you in every moment. The seven chains all represent aspects of my life that I find difficult to deal with and thus remain attached to my subconscious, eating away at my happiness.

Describe the Ideas behind your work short-listed for Top Arts.

The theme I chose for Art is the Hat, which I have transformed into a sculptural expression of human emotions. I am fascinated by wearable art and what it can offer the artistic world. My art pieces are biographical works which express who I am and the way I think, which I explore through the dominant mediums of handmade felt and silk paper.

What were your starting points? Where did your inspiration come from?

Inspiration came from my personal feelings of what it is like to complete VCE. I was inspired by space age, science fantasy costume. My major starting point was looking at the concept of a hat- and what it says about the individual wearing it. I moved onto the concept of hats telling a story or narrative.

What media/materials did you select and why?

I used the materials of handmade felt making, silk paper making and PVA glue because those materials are suited to sculptural works and creating wearable 3D works. I have also had experience with those materials. I chose red as a colour because it embodies strength and passion and pain. I wanted to juxtapose the ideas of weakness versus truth.

How did new technologies influence your ideas or working methods?

I didn’t use computers. Drawing was a key process in my creativity – it helped me to establish new ideas. Magazines were a useful base to experiment with and inspire new shapes and forms in developing some of the hats. For example if I cut out a face from a magazine to paint a face over, the shape of the face would automatically direct the form of the hat.

What challenges/difficulties, if any, did you encounter in producing your work?

Feltmaking can be unpredictable because it is a handmade process using natural fibres, which means that all the extraneous factors such as how long you felt the garment for, the quality of the wool tops, the addition of other materials ( for example, wire that I used in the green and yellow hat ) and so on, change the end result. I found that with a lot of the patterns that I created for the designs of my hats often changed (shrunk more one way than the other) and so therefore I would use that development to create something different, something even better. The amount of time wasn’t a problem, more of a constraint. If I had more time I could have made more hats it is as simple as that.

Were there any influences from other sources that were significant in the production of your work, e.g. literature, media, historical, or political events? How did this impact on the development of your work?

I found the most useful resource for inspiration was the things closest to me and my emotions. Someone who is of great importance in my life is my sister. She is the challenge and the reward.

Were there any ethical or moral issues or concerns evident in your work?

There were no overt ethical, moral or political issues in my work, they were all personal issues for example sisterhood and coping with VCE.

What resources did you access, e.g. libraries, galleries, newspapers, magazines, art programs, websites, films, events and performances?

• Vogue and Bazaar, Fashion magazines,
• Textiles Fibre Forum Magazine
• Internet historical links
• Newspaper The Age, A2
• Exhibition postcards
• Hats symposium The Melbourne Hat Symposium was held at the St. Kilda Town Hall in St. Kilda Road in 2004

What exhibitions did you see in 2005? Was there a specific exhibition that influenced the development of your ideas and working methods?

• Hat Symposium, Melbourne
• Vivienne Westwood , Canberra
• Naomi Otto, Craft Victoria
• Dutch Masters, NGV
• Akira Isogawa, NGV

Did you see Top Arts 2004? If so what was your response?

When I saw top arts 2004, I was struck by the new ideas of some of the work. There were some brightly coloured interiors painted by a boy that made an impression on me they were so expressionistic. The pencil drawing done by a girl of an empty interior of a theatre – I thought the drawing had the real ambiance of a theatre, there was a real sense of space also. There were also two paintings done by a boy titled “Intrusion” and something else? They were very eerie and very beautiful. The wearable art wasn’t impressive because firstly it was too much like fashion. These works could not have been distinguished between The Top Designs exhibitions. It wasn’t ground breaking work, I didn’t find them inspiring technically, I didn’t connect personally.

Did you consider presentation and conservation issues in the process and production of your work?

Yes, I always wanted the hats to be worn as performance pieces. The hats come to life on people. Also the works look good together, they compliment each other as a collection or body of work.

What advice would you give to students undertaking Art or Studio Arts?

Use every bit of time that you have access to. The more work you create the more consolidated your ideas become. And the more interesting your ideas develop.

What were the highlights of your studies in 2005?

Coming to the realisation that a work you were in the process of creating realises your design. I exhibited at the Presentation College Art student exhibition. I had a lot of students say to me that that is how they felt too during VCE, or when they were sad, they felt entrapped, chained, burdened etc. People were generally curious and a bit freaked out by them. People generally understood the symbolism. For example carrying the weight of the chains.

Are you planning to pursue a career in the arts?

Yes Fashion and design RMIT Costume Design NIDA

What are you doing in 2006?

Working in Lumina Gallery. Lumina Gallery is a textile and fibre Arts gallery and is located in East Malvern . Hopefully I will be accepted into RMIT for fashion – so far I have got an interview , which means they liked the way I did on the test.

We had to complete a design test based on a design brief. The focus was designing for a couple going to the races. We had to complete development sketches, 2 sets of final outfits in colour, then we had to specify our design brief and make sure everything was annotated. It went for three hours, and I didn’t finish but I designed the outfits in relation to the horses, including saddles, fur, whips, tails etc.

After the test RMIT decide who they will interview and this is even before they have seen your marks. My interview went very well and I am now studying fashion at RMIT and I am loving it.

The hats I completed for VCE art and the Elizabethan dress that was in Top Designs 2004 were published in the magazine Textile, issue 1. No. 81. 2006 . It accompanied an article written by me.

The remaining hats and dress are going up to Orange, NSW, to an exhibition of wearable art.