This found object assemblage sculpture is called City by the Sea 1. It is a triangular prism, 3cm high (at a 90 degrees angle), about 6 cm on each of the three sides and 30cm long.
I created this artwork on a working holiday in Geelong. I found the base, a painted, peeling board, washed up along the foreshore. This was my best find while walking from my Airbnb to the Creativity Cluster exhibition at Renew Geelong.
Later I started commuting from Melbourne to Geelong by train. My walk from the station to Market Square replaced my foreshore walk. That’s how I found the pieces of rectangular metal and the rusted washer – on the streets.
My inspiration for the artwork was the view across the bay to the headland. To me, this artwork represents a rewarding month working in and exploring Geelong.
Exhibitions
This work has appeared in several exhibitions subsequent to my creating it during the Geelong exhibition in 2019. It was in the group exhibition, Not Your Usual Canvas, at The Old Auction House in Kyneton in 2019. Later that year it appeared at my North Melbourne Library solo exhibition Cityscapes from City Streets. It then featured in Rivers Run Free at the Dirty Dozen with other River Studios artists in 2020.
Finally, City by the Sea 1 returned to its original home in Geelong. However, Renew Geelong has now been replaced by The Reimaginarium. This shop, located at 107 Moorabool Street, specialises in reclaimed and repurposed products.
This artwork arrived in March and April 2021 for the exhibition From Then to Now with Creativity Cluster. The exhibition was part of both Melbourne and Geelong Design Weeks. The artwork has now been sold at The Reimaginarium, or as it’s now called, Foundling Reusery.
My Inspiration
Working as a found object assemblage artist and jewellery designer, I create wall sculptures, 3D sculptures and brooches. I limit my ‘raw materials’ to the metal, wood, tiles and plastic that I gather from streets and skips.
Many of my works are inspired by the skyline, especially at sunrise and sunset. Often I try to incorporate ‘natural features’. A bent nail can suggest a meandering river, rusted sheet metal transforms into a cloud, or a broken tile becomes a mountain.
My more abstract works are stimulated by the found objects themselves, which I often place in juxtaposition. At other times, I emphasise their rusted, scratched or variegated surfaces.
Sustainable art
My art is inspired by a strong interest in sustainability through repurposing and upcycling. My hope is that this artwork makes you smile and, at the same time, reminds you of the 5Rs to help our planet: refuse, reduce, reuse, repurpose and recycle.
