A Social Object.

A Social Object. is a collaborative exhibition by Australian artists, Ellie Farrington, Grace Dewar, Kirsty Lee, Laurie Oxenford, Peta Berghofer, Rianna Hollsten-Provenzano and Theresa Hall. Presented by First Coat Studios (7th - 25th August 2018), A Social Object. positions the artist collective as a shared resource to provoke a new point of departure for art making. Within the parameters of their individual and combined practices, each artist has developed new work in a visceral response to The Object; a 25 x 15m white drape. Culminating in a series of sculptures, digital works and installations, A Social Object. is a site-specific exchange that explores how we connect through artforms and social spaces.

Symbolically, The Object cannot physically be manoeuvred nor experienced in its entirety without collective interaction. With this is mind, throughout all stages of the project, A Social Object. invited collaboration. Art production was limited to a six week period, which defined social spaces imperative for idea sharing and process development. This format directed a shared perspective of The Object and fostered ideals of symbolic interactionism and the common good. This, in turn, has blurred boundaries between practices and reframed the role of participants as both artist, observer and curator.

Dynamism and energy are embodied in the work, as the collective approached the act of making with strategies that extended their individual arts practices. The intuitive processes encountered during production were pushed further through experimental installation methods and the inclusion of The Object within the physical space of the gallery.

Commanding in its environment, The Object’s physical qualities are contradictory; light in appearance yet heavy to move, soft in aesthetic yet rigid en masse, and peaceful in presence yet dominating and loud. The collective first unveiled The Object in the open space of Queens Park, which expanded a layer of white across the landscape. As the wind modelled The Object, this action became almost performative, as the fabric billowed with chaotic movement and roared with deafening ferocity.

This project has seen the coming together of seven artists of varying disciplines and career stages, several of which have a base within First Coat Studios. The importance of a physical space and the social environment it provides, has been defined as critical by all participants for both this project and, more broadly, in art production. Mirroring that of a greenhouse, an artist run initiative (ARI) community is a flexible micro-environment for creative and professional growth. Interactions like those nurtured through A Social Object., provide development for the artists involved, allowing them to navigate new processes, build community and explore alternative parameters for art-making.

Photography credit: Theresa Hall, Ian McCallum, Laurie Oxenford & Grace Dewar.