Inside SAM's Place
September 2003 - May 2005
Inside SAM's Place is a collaborative project between Craftsouth and the South Australian Museum which involves artists working "inside the museum" to promote public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of South Australian craft, art and design. This project also highlights the historic partnerships between museums and artists / craftspeople - artists undertake research at museums, which leads to the development of new work, which, when exhibited, allows for new ways of interpreting museum collections.
The project has also provided mentorship opportunities for two emerging curators - Gus Clutterbuck and Roy Ananda - and an emerging writer - Henry Ashley-Brown - who have liaised with participating artists and museum staff to develop themes and support materials for the exhibition program.
Featured Inside SAM's Place:
Marie Littlewood: Fossil Phones
March - late April 2005
Located in the Origin Energy Fossil Gallery at the South Australian Museum is a display by ceramicist Marie Littlewood which raises questions about the artefacts of tomorrow... Fossil Phones considers the role of ceramics in yielding important information about past civilisations to archaeologists and anthropologists, and presents "fossil" telephones made from ceramics to consider the uncertain role of pottery and hand-made objects in representing contemporary culture to future historians. Along the way Marie Littlewood's display "un-earths" issues relating to the disposable nature of mobile technology, and the longevity and enivronmental impact of contemporary materials.
Gavin Malone: In the Footsteps of Stuart
February - late March 2005
In 2003 Gavin Malone travelled extensively in Central and Western Australia. Part of the journey followed the footsteps of John McDouall Stuart - who crossed Australia from south to north in the 1860's, opening up Central Australia for European settlement and providing the way for the overland telegraph and later, the Stuart Highway. In The Footsteps of Stuart features a series of intimate landscape photographs accompanied by texts from postcards to family and friends - which relate the stories of Gavin's unique journey and his very personal quest to understand country and culture.
Sue Lorraine
December 2004 - mid January 2005
The skeleton of Max at the South Australian Musuem has always fascinated artist Sue Loarrine. For Inside SAM's Place Sue has decided to take a closer look at this display. In a neighboring case Sue Lorraine has created three-dimensional sketches from expandale foam, chair legs, angle iron, turned wooden bits, glass and very thick enamel paint. The sketches consider the relationship of the artworks to the skeleton specimen, and brings to light the authenticity granted to items displayed within glass cases inside Museums. Sue Lorraine anticipates audiences of her display will question the information they are given and go on to consider the role - both historic and contemporary - of the Museum within society.
Robert Habel: Gillman In The CBD
December 2004 - late January 2005
As part of Inside SAM's Place landscape artist Robert Habel has created a series of landscape paintings and videos about the politically charged Gillman region. Gillman is situated 15km north west of Adelaide and has historically been the location for much planning and speculation - including a nineteenth century prison, a giant city tip, and in the 1980's and 90's it was the potential site for a Multi-Function Polis. Robert Habel began painting the Gillman region in 1992 after searching for landscapes that "were of his era". For Habel, Gillman is a dynamic landscape with ever changing that inspire community debate about its use and abuse.
The videos featured in Gillman In The CBD have been created Robert Habel and Cole Larsen.
Annette Vincent
September 2004
As part of Inside SAM's Place, artist and scientist Annette Vincent worked in the Entomology Department of the SA Museum with Archie McArthur. Annette undertook hand drawings of specimens from the entomology collection, then scanned the drawings and reworked them digitally to assist in the classification of specimens. Annette went on to hold workshops for primary school children - entitled "The Art of the Ant" - wherein students observed ants under a mircoscope and drew what they saw. Through the workshops students were able to consider the similarities and differences between artistic and scientific drawing, and the roles of the artist and the scientist.
Sandy Elverd
February - March 2004 (As part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival)
Sandy Elverd has been visiting the museum since she was a child and finds it a place of inspiration and wonder. As part of Inside SAM's Place, Sandy has created seven small dogs using a random stitch technique of mixed grasses and wool. The dogs have been inspired by the "Seven Resin Dogs" sculptures - which are part of the Reuther collection held at the SA Museum. The original dog sculptures were created by the Indigenous people of the Lake Eyre region and in the 1890's were collected, along with other artefacts, from the Killalpaninna Lutheran Mission by Pastor Johann Reuther (Philip Jones & Peter Sutton, Art & Land, 1986, SA Museum with Wakefield Press).
India Flint
February - March 2004 (As part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival)
As part of Inside SAM's Place, textile artist India Flint has explored historical stories and references about Daisy Bates, an Irish born migrant who spent much of her life living and working amongst Aboriginal people in the 1900's.
The Nomad's Home is a large dress constructed from felt, cotton and silk fabrics, together with recycled items of clothing. This piece represents the strength of Daisy's personality together with the brilliant colours of the landscape she chose to live in. The skirt is designed to echo her canvas tent, while the added scraps and patches hint at journals and notes.
The Keeper of Secrets is a multi-pocketed felt coat which has been dyed using indigenous plants, together with dog spikes from the East-West railway line (collected by the artist in Tarcoola in 1986). Its small size reflects Daisy's own diminutive form, while the many pockets remind us she was always collecting and storing information.
Dale Roberts
January 2004
"The story of life begins somewhere at some particular point we happen to remember." (Jung C.G 1973 Memories, Dreams, Reflections). Dale's work explores aspects of memory, in particular the first awareness of memory occuring. As part of Inside SAM's Place, Dale has created a grid of glass cube forms on which are engraved drawings created by Prospect Primary school students during a visit to the Museum. The completed work provides a "memory" of the SA Museum, as seen through the eyes of its young visitors.
Joseanne Visentin
November 2003
Joseanne worked for a number of days "inside the museum" carving a male cedar figure in response to and influenced by the New Ireland carvings and Sepik carved hook figures on display in the Pacific Cultures Gallery. Also on display was one of Joseanne's major pieces - Winter - along with samples of the materials and tools of her trade. Joseanne described her time at the museum.. "It has been a delightful, inspiring and rewarding month, this experience is a well regarded privilege."
Carole-Anne Fooks
November 2003
As a jeweller, Carole-Anne Fooks has incorporated many natural resources into her art pieces: horn, bone, stone and fossils, as well as precious gems and metals. In her display at the SA Museum, Carole-Anne created a series of jewellery works from her exploration of artefacts from Papua New Guinea, in particular the Lime Sticks from Massim and the Kap-Kaps from New Ireland. Her works were displayed in the Pacific Cultures Gallery along with references to the originals items.
Regine Schwarzer
October 2003
Through her jewellery practice, Regine Schwarzer aims to highlight the natural resources Australia has to offer. Regine is highly skilled in the collection of common rough stone and gem material, and working these materials to reveal the beautiful art-stones within. As part of Inside SAM's Place Regine provided stone cutting and polishing demonstrations using local stones featured within the SA Museum's extensive rock and gem collection. Regine was also selected as Craftsperson of the Month in the Museum Shop for October, and on display to customers were many of her necklaces, rings and bracelets - featuring Australian gem and ornamental stones such as chrysoprase, opal, variscite, prehnite and even granite. Regine's display coincided with South Australia's Opal Month (October 2003).
Stephanie Radok
October 2003
The Weight Of Words, a series of plaster casts of de-accessioned anthropology books by Stephanie Radok, was displayed in the Pacific Cultures Gallery at the SA Museum. The artwork arose from Stephanie's ongoing investigation into the "construction of knowledge" and "anthropology" - key activities undertaken by the SA Museum. Each book was "named", inviting visitors to treat the books as objects as well as symbols of research and knowledge, and information plaques situated in the display cases explained: "These cast plaster books are artefacts from Western culture, sacred objects which are passed down from generation to generation and are often kept in special storehouses called libraries from which they can be borrowed for four weeks at a time." Stephanie's display highlighted the role books play in our lives, combining the romanticism, anxiety and excitement of gathering knowledge and gaining understanding.
Helen Printer
September 2003
As part of Inside SAM's Place, bronze artist Helen Printer displayed the techniques involved in cuttlefish casting and lost wax bronze casting, alongside her "singing bowls" - the result of a detailed step by step process to ensure each bowl is tuned to hit the right note. Helen spent several days at the Museum working on a wax skeleton form and explaining to visitors the processes involved in wax modelling and bronze casting. Helen also displayed a number of cast brooches and objects in the Museum Shop as Craftsperson of the Month, as well as her Turned Turtle (Chelodina Expansa) - which was cast from a turtle shell and then "popped" while the wax cast was warm so that the inside became the outside and vice versa.
For further information about Inside SAM's Place, contact Craftsouth on (08) 8410 1822 or via email: insidesamsplace@craftsouth.org.au
Inside SAM's Place is a collaboration between Craftsouth and the South Australian Museum, and has been supported by the Australia Council, the Australian Government's arts funding and advisory body.
