TIDAL SHIFT

The ongoing TIDAL SHIFT project considers the pre-colonial structure of our harbor waterways and contemplates post-coal environments. The location chosen for the project source imagery is an area of mudflats visible from the Throsby Creek Boardwalk at Carrington, not far from the highly modified environments of Newcastle's coal handling and shipping facilities. These industrial sites were created by filling the mudflats surrounding the island (known by the Awabakal people as Onibygambah) with ballast transported to the site by visiting ships.

The natural environment depicted in my work is similar to what I imagine existed on these sites. My project draws attention to this duality, as well as the relationship between coal and the environments that pre-date it and are in fact a catalyst for its formation.

An artist's impression of an installed “Storybox” digital video display cube (with solar panels)

The Sketchbook Project

The Brooklyn Art Library is home to over 41,000 sketchbooks from over 130 different countries. The image below is a sample from a sketchbook submitted to Volume 14 of this collection.

Collection location: Brooklyn Art Library, 28 Frost Street, Brooklyn. NY.

Book title: INFINITE SKETCH (sample double page spread)
THE SKETCHBOOK PROJECT VOL. 14 - 2019

360Lab

A demountable 360° digital SLR image and video capture array for motion, performance, dance, spatial and 3D object studies.

This pilot project drew together an interdisciplinary team of researchers from the creative domains of Digital Photomedia (Kris Smith), Dance (Cadi McCarthy - Catapult Dance Choreographic Hub) and Performance (Dr Gillian Arrighi - University of Newcastle), with technical support (Leigh Collins) from the domains of live performance, digital media, and sound. The project’s first phase developed an intimate, portable performance environment with the technical capacity for simultaneous 360-degree visual capture (both moving and still image) of the human body in movement. It thus created an environment where time was effectively slowed through the focussed visual capture of the body in space from 360-degrees, allowing in depth analysis of quintessential elements of embodied performance such as identity, action, re-action, and interaction. The second phase of the project applied action research and creative-led enquiry to explore the creative capacities of this portable cyclorama. The device may be also be used to enable the integration of live action into virtual reality environments, as well as create digital models of large objects that could also be 3D printed at small scale to produce dioramas for set design and lighting experiments.

Growing up with cancer

The Growing Up with Cancer (GUWC) project used research and creative practice to understand the experience of having cancer during adolescence and young adulthood.

Funded by the Australian Research Council (ARC), it brought together researchers, artists, advocates and clinicians at Sydney Health Ethics, University of Sydney, the University of Newcastle, the Children’s Hospital at Westmead, and CanTeen – the Australian organisation for young people living with cancer.

During 2010 and 2011, 27 young people participated in interviews about the nature and extent of the impact of cancer on the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Of these, 19 collaborated with the artist Kris Smith or worked on their own to produce a self-portrait that represented their experience of growing up and having cancer.

During 2012 and 2013 an exhibition of these works toured Australia, spending time at eight venues including hospitals, and community, art and education spaces. Twenty-two self-portraits are represented in this exhibition, including one suite of music. The works are now on permanent loan to the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre art collection. Further information may be found on the  Sydney Health Ethics web pages  of the University of Sydney