FRESH! 2017

Here is the latest and Fresh!-est bunch of selected students from graduating in craft, design and fine art tertiary courses throughout Victoria. 

Thanks to Kate Rhode who gave a compelling opening story outlining what qualities might be Fresh! (with emphasis on the exclamation mark).

...The point is that maybe magic is another of the synonyms we are searching for when we use the word fresh – and perhaps even more when we give it an exclamation mark. When we pinpoint something as fresh we are assigning it something of the qualities of magic – some un-nameable energy, we see some compelling transformation of the material world...

So when you see all these works today at Craft and you think about the makers, you know the discussion, the comparisons that are being made with other existing work and other existing ideas, whether it be around the use of a technique or material or the concept or the combination of these things.

So when you see all these works today at Craft and you think about the makers, you know the discussion, the comparisons that are being made with other existing work and other existing ideas, whether it be around the use of a technique or material or the concept or the combination of these things...

...(T) he concept of Fresh is – perhaps unhelpfully – at once shared and entirely subjective. But now that the work has been created and chosen for exhibition we are, as viewers, in the role of the, hopefully, generous critic and I think that is a process that can be truly fresh.

18 February to 11 March 2017
Craft , 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
 

 

Tessy King Sun Room is an investigation into the possibilities for spatializing the ceramic vessel. By deconstructing the vessel and emphasizing its historical prevalence Tessy considers the meaning and value attached to the ceramic form. Referencing antiquity, garden ornaments and domestic ware, the work explores how the space around everyday objects is imparted with meaning on the objects behalf. Exploration into additional materials acting as props for these vessels fragments the surrounding space into areas for viewing. This intervention into space blends the vessel with the constructed supports, reflecting on the constant exchange between object and that which acts as its physical platform.

Claire Lehman Claire is influenced by the industrial design objects and systems usually kept hidden behind walls and ceilings; plumbing, air-conditioning, heating and wiring.
Claire started designing lights from porcelain and immediately realized how difficult the material was when thin enough to be translucent. The strict parameters of the material provide a design challenge, one that continues to be interesting to problem solve.

Cara Johnson Each of the components that contribute to Hinterland (survey) has a correlation to a point within the environment. Observed details, qualities and histories are referenced in the forms and rhythms of making. The objects become intertwined with the land when they are placed, and left, in the environment. Rust and rot creep in and the weather contorts and shifts the materials, removing them from the artist's hand, and returning them to nature.

Rachel Siklic Taking inspiration from the very popular Scandinavian design, the RUSS Sideboard is a finely crafted statement piece. Constructed from solid rock maple timber and birch plywood, the outstanding feature of the RUSS Sideboard is its impressive façade. Each door is covered by ‘ruffles’, individually hand crafted from layers of rock maple veneer and displayed in a radial arrangement. The two-door sideboard features plenty of storage with two inside drawers, in plum coloured film face plywood for a colourful hidden feature. The sideboard boasts slightly splayed wood turned legs and beautiful brass hardware for a chic, retro look. Finished with a clear lacquer applied to highlight the attractive qualities of the timber grain, The RUSS Sideboard is a statement living room and lifetime piece.

 

Hannah Gartside New Terrain (of The Fantasies) is a suspended textile sculpture made from found 1960's petticoat lace trim, tulle, thread and garter belt clips. New Terrain is made from 92 metres of lace, cut into trapezium shapes and stitched back together to create 46 hexagons. The hexagons are tessellated in the style of a patchwork quilt. Cones of the same lace protrude from the centre of each hexagon.

Bec Smith Spring is a collection of porcelain and enamelled sculptures accompanied by fragrance and edible materials. Bec’s installation represents the feeling of immersing oneself in the ethereal qualities of gardens. The palette of colour and texture is inspired by her love for sweet snacks and the smells and flavours of flowers in bloom. The artist is driven by the tactile nature of porcelain and how it preserves the memory of touch.