Anon
Noosa Regional Gallery, Noosa, Queensland, 2009.
Hand-cut signwriter's vinyl, 2300 x 5500mm.
An installation exploring resonances between people and place; referencing the patterns of our social and cultural lives in the natural world.
Anon is an ephemeral work developed as part of my ongoing process of creating work that responds to place. It explores my experience of the site, most directly the physical character of the gallery and its striking parquet flooring. The use of pattern is intrinsic to my art practice. This surface evokes a special quality of sophistication in my childhood memories.
Colour is another vital element in my visual language. In this work I am attempting to convey the intense sensation I have experienced when driving to the region of being surrounded by the sweep of the landscape in the Noosa Hinterland.
The imagery selected is also significant. During my research for a recent Brisbane-based project some interesting links to the Noosa region emerged. Duboisia myoporoides Corkwood, a medicinal plant was drawn to my attention because of its inclusion in the crest of the Royal Women’s Hospital. North of Noosa, Kingaroy is a world-renowned centre for the production of the plant that is processed into Scopolamine and used in Pharmaceuticals.
It is these unexpected links that intrigue and add much to the enjoyment of the work. They add another layer of complexity to an understanding of the tenuous but sometimes surprisingly strong resonances between our social and cultural lives in the natural world.
It is an important part of my process to have numerous people involved in the realisation of the work.
I would like to acknowledge the assistance given by Bridget Burnell of The Signcraft Group and Daniel Clifford of UAP; and to thank the install team - Lesley Kendall, Jeanette Mitchell and the staff at the Noosa Regional Gallery.
Installation view and detail
Photography by Rod Buchholz.
Process: development & installation
Process images, courtesy Mandy Ridley and Noosa Gallery Staff.