Sing
An immersive and poetic artwork reflective of delicate and intricate natural connections found in remaining ‘wild’ environments
Brighton. Victoria. Australia | 7 August 2018 – 09 May 2021
Sing was a new installation work exhibited at Bayside Gallery from March 13 to May 9, 2021. Sing comprised of one hundred handwoven pendant nests with a number of these nests containing mini speakers playing pre-recorded bird songs suspended from the gallery ceiling. Sing was an immersive and poetic work reflective of delicate and intricate natural connections found in remaining ‘wild’ environments. Sing was an outcome of my recent residency in Manaus, State of Amazonia, Brazil, where I was enthralled by the precarious suspension of Yellow-rumped Cacique nests over the flooded forests within the Amazon jungle. The nests exhibited in Sing were reflective of the cacique nests, both in texture and colour. However, rather than being made of indigenous Amazonian flora the nests in Sing, were created with African palm oil fronds – a plant being cultivated as an industrial, agricultural crop following the clearing of tropical rainforests globally. The required nest material was sourced through a collaboration with Associate Professor Paul Nelson from James Cook University, Cairns. Dr. Nelson and his team are currently researching African oil palm to optimise productivity and minimise adverse environmental impacts. The nests were created in my Melbourne studio over a 10-month period. The speakers playing the recorded bird calls were installed in the nests during the gallery installation. The exhibition catalogue essay was written by Professor Kit Wise, Dean, School of Art, RMIT and featured images of the work being made and images of the Cacique nests. Numerous promotion opportunities were secured before, during and after the exhibition period. 1,706 people visited the exhibit during its showing at Bayside Gallery.
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https://debbiesymons.com.au/sing-2020-21/
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Editor’s Note: All information published as submitted by the author(s). Minor edits may have been made to increase readability and understanding.
