Art of up-cycling will be on show in "Gather."
Ceramics cannot rust, corrode under normal circumstances or be easily melted down like scrap metal. The unique chemical properties that make ceramics longlasting and useful also make it difficult and expensive to recycle. As a specialised tableware studio, we consistently have a small percentage of pieces that are damaged in the many stages of production. This exhibition makes use of this resources as well as other studio waste products. Harnessing the pyroclastic nature of clay fired at high temperatures, using solar powered electric kilns, these ceramic sculptural works will be made solely from postproduction non-recycle ceramics studio waste, keeping products and materials in use that would have previously been single use, non-recycle material.
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The Store gallery space will feature 2D ceramics wall hangings and small sculptures. Large scale site specific works will be on display around the convent grounds and gardens.
When
31 August — 17 September
Where
The Store gallery -
Thursday to Sunday
10am to 4pm
Infirmary Lawn and outside Julie restaurant
Cost
FREE
Opening Event
Thursday 31 August, from 6pm
Celebrate the launch at The Store with waste reduction advocate Joost Baker. All are welcome, we’d love to see you there!
Artist Talk
Sunday 3 September, 2pm — 3pm
Book here
Ilona Topolcsanyi will reflect on her 15 years of studio pottery at the Abbotsford Convent and how Place has influenced her practice. This is a rare opportunity to take an intimate journey with the artist into her distinctive world of making, with insights into how she has carved out thoroughly individual and unpredictable paths to success.
Artist Statement
What we’re really saying when we talk about waste is that we’ve stopped finding a use for this thing. Does the concept of waste give us permission to relinquish responsibility for the future of this item? What if we removed the finite concept of waste and we had a plan for the future of each item we bought before we buy it. What will this thing become item once it’s time in my company is complete? Is the idea of waste a modern concept and just what is waste?
They say “one man's trash is another man's treasure”. Should we know who’s treasure we hold? This collection of works is an investigation into the repurposing of postproduction pottery studio waste through the pyroclastic nature of clay fired at high temperatures.