Students at the are repurposing, redesigning and recycling to create stunning works of art, forgoing paints and canvas in favour of bed linen, data cables, plastic bottles, CDs and bubble wrap.
and have teamed up for a new exhibition at South Bank, , to showcase the works.
The exhibition, which includes sculpture, video installation, paintings and photography, is on display at the QCA’s and the Flight Centre foyer until 9 February.
Doctoral candidate Claire Tracey curated the exhibition, after completing several sustainable artworks during a residency at Flight Centre’s global headquarters at South Bank last year.
“My doctorate examines arts-led engagement, so I approached Flight Centre last year about how we could work together,” she said.
“They are based right across the road from the QCA at South Bank, and they share the university’s commitment to sustainability, so it made sense to team up.
“Flight Centre were amazing – they ended up giving me studio space and access to all of their recyclable plastic waste.”
Claire became aware of other students at the QCA working with sustainable materials and decided to put together an exhibition to showcase their work.
“The QCA has a lot of talent, and there are a lot of students working in this space who are really pushing the boundaries,” she said.
“It’s a great chance for students to exhibit their work off-campus, explore sustainable transformations, and look at how art can guide the way to a greener society.”
Queensland College of Art Director Professor Derrick Cherrie said the exhibition was a model of collaboration between big business and emerging artists.
“It’s a fabulous example of a large organisation with a keen interest in environmental issues working with creative young people who want to express their desire to improve the environment,” he said.
Flight Centre Chief Operating Officer Melanie Waters-Ryan said the company was delighted to support the exhibition.
“Claire was our artist-in-residence last year, and during this period, she collected our plastic waste to create the magnificent sculpture that has transformed the entrance to our global headquarters,” she said.
“We have embraced the opportunity to be part of this exciting project with a host of emerging artists, and are in discussions with QCA about how to continue working together across a range of sustainability initiatives.”
The exhibition includes work by Anthony Elliott Baker, Priscilla Bracks, Rae Cooper, Deborah Eddy, Abraham Jr Garcia, Annique Goldenberg, Susan Gourley, Rachelle Mcintyre, Mathew Newkirk, Paula Payne, Gavin Sade, Ronda Sharpe, Stefania Shevchenko, Karen Stone, Pamela See (Xue Mei-Ling), Jody Rallah and Claire Tracey.
Morphosis is currently on display at the QCA’s and Flight Centre foyer at South Bank. It is open to the public Tuesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm until 9 February 2019.
