Artist profile
I have been in practice as an independent installation artist since 2000. Deep creative enquiry and research-based discipline underpin my practice. I have exhibited as a finalist in national, regional and local competitions and received grants and prizes from respected government agencies and art sector bodies.
Early in my career I carried out a number of large-scale commissions for public space, some permanent, some temporary. Now my focus has shifted to creating self-initiated sculptural interventions and ephemeral works of live art in public space. These are often collaborative, interdisciplinary, performative and participatory.
I am self-represented, a member of NAVA and have my home and studio in rural northeast NSW.
Artist statement
My art practice is a spatial one in which I explore the seminal relationship we have with landscape and place.
The constant focus of my work is to orchestrate physical and imaginative experiences of place. I do this in a number of ways – by choreographing the viewer's movement through space; by tapping into experiential layers of place; and by harnessing the dynamics of weather, topography and human agency. I often use repeated sculptural components in sketchy or diagrammatic configurations to draw audiences through an interactive field.
By framing the participant as a universal figure in a metaphorical landscape, I aim to re-activate our connection with the physical world and to re-mystify our experience of it.
The Iso-Walks Project
September 2020
I'm doing a COVID isolation project with two artist friends, all of us in separate locations. It's a series of walking works. On day one we each do a walk and document it in some form. On day two we submit our 'walk work' online and on day three we meet online for a group discussion/crit.
Repeat ten times.
It's a great opportunity to experiment and develop new ideas.
Up sticks!
January 2020
Given that a deep connection with landscape is central to my art practice, I have long wanted to live in a place where I am immersed in open spaces and big skies, trees and birdsong. Out of the blue, good friends offered me the opportunity to do exactly that. Early in 2020 I moved both home and studio to rural NSW, basically the middle of fantastic nowhere.
The big question is what influence it will have on my art practice.
Sight Line II
2019
Patinated bronze, polished stainless steel, painted aluminium
Dimensions variable
First installed at Frankston Pier in 2004, Sight Line became a much-loved landmark for locals and visitors alike. Sight Line II addresses the conditions of an extreme coastal environment while remaining true to the original artistic concept.
In 2018/19 the work was completely rebuilt to include upgraded materials and modified design details that ensure its survival into the future. As if to prove the point, a few months after installation was completed, Sight Line II successfully survived a major storm that slammed into the pier.
Commissioned by Frankston City Council