Jasmine Targett and Debbie Symonds recently collaborated on ‘Inside the Realm of Invisible Spheres‘ [previous post], and their latest work ‘Losing the Unique‘ is at Shifted Gallery in Richmond.
This work continues the focus on the changes seen in nature and implicitly questions the role of humans in this shift. In the text that accompanies the exhibition, Debbie writes: ‘my artistic practice is an investigation and interrogation of humanity’s ecological conundrum and the discourse pertaining to this situation. The precarious position that human and non human species face are the central themes of my research …‘. Debbie has created two-dimensional representations of the call/song of selected albatross species, to call ‘attention to their plummeting population numbers‘.
photograph taken with gallery permission
Jasmine’s work is in three parts: stoneware, porcelain and silver; all referencing the Pelargonium genus. In her text she states: ‘the notion of reductionism within scientific paradigms is that it excludes the need for individual identity … individual identity masses into group classifications. What was once unique is now lost within the system‘. I think the silver installation, ‘Memores acti prudentest futuri‘, best represents this idea – by preserving the individuality of each leaf, not just the variety or the plant.
photograph taken with gallery permission
I’m interested in how Jasmine was able to keep the natural shape of the leaf after the casting process, which I would think would flatten the leaves out (but that could simply be my incomplete understanding of casting of course!).
In a little example of connectivity, the other artist exhibiting in the gallery was Terence Bogue – who is one of the photographers of choice for Melbourne jewellers, metalsmiths and ceramic artists. Here he shows a small number of photographic studies of the clavicle and scapula – quiet and contemplative work.
‘Losing the Unique‘ is at Shifted Gallery until 26th September 2009.
Melbourne Jeweller 