I'm trying to understand why I find rust, decay and peeling paint beautiful. From seeing other people's photos and artworks, I know I'm not the only one. I'm sure there are whole artistic movements based on this. But I'm untrained in art theory or history, so I struggle to find the words to explain myself.
I really relate to this quote from UK artist, Fiona Long "As I walk around the streets of London, on my way to college or work and when I’m out and about, going to galleries I see art everywhere. It may not be art to anyone else as it isn’t obviously beautiful, it isn’t made by an artist and it isn’t in a gallery, but I keep seeing elements of aesthetic quality and beauty wherever I look. I intend to explore the beauty of what many see as ugly, imperfect elements of our urban environment."
A while ago, I heard about the Japanese aesthetic called Wabi-sabi. "Wabi-sabi acknowledges three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect... Characteristics of the wabi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, asperity (harshness, roughness), simplicity, modesty, intimacy, and the suggestion of natural processes."I really don't have a lot of technical knowledge about photography, I'm happy just to 'play' (for now) and luckily, I'm a fan of accidental images.
This is what happened when I tried to take some photos of the Sydney Opera House at night, using a slow shutter speed and no tripod...
The last one, especially, reminds me of a fluffy feathered nest!
I've been making these ones for a while, but have added 5 more to the collection.
The characters are taken from old children's books, and the background is a mix of painted and unpainted cardboard fruit box tiles.
They're mounted on boxes salvaged from an art store, that used to hold paint tubes. They make a great base, giving the work a bit more depth on the wall, and they're so light too. They're ready to hang, with a red hemp loop on the back.
Addison Road Centre is a fantastic community space, home to Reverse Garbage, The Bower, MAD Gallery and lots more community organisations.
Took part in their makers market last Saturday night. There were lots of handmade goodies, yummy Ethiopian and Japanese food, home baked cakes, Chai and free music performances from Lolo Lovina, Toy Death, a local choir plus Radio Skidrow dj'ed.
The rainy weather meant we set up in the hall rather than on the green, but it didn't keep people away. Here's a shot of the crowd chilling out to Lolo Lovina (although they were up and dancing at times too!)
Thanks for a fun night Addison Road Centre!
Have framed some of the 12cm square fruit box collages - really happy with how they turned out.
And there's also a new large panel in blues - 40cm square, my biggest so far. It's fun to play with new sizes colours and formats.
