Two artists working together for the first time have married two very different media to shine a light on the beauty and fragility of the atmosphere that sustains all life on earth.
The exhibition, at Hyphen – Wodonga Library Gallery is a collaboration between Abi Thompson and Helen Newman. An immersive installation of textiles, printmaking and digital projections, it investigates the wonders of the atmospheric membrane that keeps our planet alive and the human-caused activities that threaten it.
For both artists, their inaugural work together was equally surprising and rewarding.
“We work with such different mediums so it took me a long time to get the flow which I found challenging but there were some really nice surprises as well and I’m hoping audiences see different things and make connections that they might not necessarily have seen before,” Helen said.
For Abi, the partnership was also a voyage of discovery.
“It wasn’t until it was installed that I really knew how it was going to mesh together so even though I had an idea of where we were going, it was adjusted and developed to create another dimension and layers to allow viewers to find their own space within it,” she said.
The collaboration provided an opportunity to add an extra dimension to Abi’s work with recycled materials through digital animation and projections created by Helen.
“I hope people enjoy the collaboration between mediums and I think that will probably bring some sort of joy and a better appreciation of the space (at Hyphen),” Abi said.
Although their media and techniques are very different, both artists share a love of the natural environment and a concern for the harm that human activity can present to our global landscape.
They hope Biosphere’s themes of emergence, growth, degradation and regeneration will inspire audiences to enjoy the beauty of the works while stimulating conversations about our combined role in caring for the environment.
“We all know our planet is in trouble so (the work) is another way of talking about that and it’s also encouraging empowerment and connection in caring for our environment from the deep oceans to the tops of the mountains,” Helen said.
Biosphere is now on exhibition in the Artspace Gallery at Hyphen until May 8, weekdays from 10am to 6pm and weekends 10am to 3pm.
