My Return from the Arctic Circle Residency

I am back in Sydney after my incredible artist residency in The Arctic Circle.

I keep finding it challenging to put words to the last couple of weeks; at most times, it was beyond them.

I have a thousand stories and more I want to share, write down and hold onto. It feels like months, if not a whole year, compressed into this short period.

Time really is different up there; it’s stretched and distorted, and it’s not just because of the midnight sun. A day can feel like multiple, and then suddenly, it’s Friday, not Tuesday or maybe Wednesday, as you’d thought it was. Adding to that, the incomprehensible perspective between distance and scale makes everything feel wonderfully disorienting.

It has been a truly life-changing experience. A ship filled with the most incredible bunch of creative weirdos, some I know will be friends for life, sailing and exploring this ridiculous landscape that could be another planet. All of us getting distracted and excited by cool rocks, shifting light, icebergs that glowed this bright, brilliant blue, and fog so thick that the rest of the world disappeared, all while attempting to develop or create something that tries to capture this experience and moment.

While circumnavigating Svalbard, we explored uncharted waters and sailed up and made it to 82˚ North, where the photo below was taken surrounded by sheets of ice as far as we could see, miles from any land.

I am slowly easing myself back into reality, to buildings and streets filled with people and the existence of the internet again. I spent a few days in Oslo before the long journey back to Sydney, grounding myself by wandering the tree-filled parks – it was so strange and lovely to see trees again.
I am thankful for the time, people, connections, and experience.

I am back in the studio and am planning and preparing a couple of projects, including a solo exhibition next year at Penny Contemporary to showcase work from this residency.

 

 

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I’m heading to the Arctic Circle for an Art and Science Residency!

I am excited to announce that I will be heading to The Arctic Circle in August to participate in The Arctic Circle Expedition: Art and Science Residency!

This is an incredible opportunity and an honour to be invited to apply and then be selected.
The Arctic Circle expeditionary residency program, established in 2009, is an annual expedition that invites international artists, scientists, educators, and innovators to live and work aboard an Arctic-class expedition ship and collectively explore the Arctic Archipelago of Svalbard, just 10 degrees latitude from the North Pole.

Yep, the North Pole! I will be literally on top of the world, creating art with a select group of remarkable artists and scientists!

This year is a special expedition that will, for the first time, circumnavigate Svalbard and navigate to the polar ice pack region on a 91-meter icebreaker with onboard studio and lab spaces to pursue creative projects on board and ashore.

This residency will undoubtedly be a career highlight. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to immerse myself in a truly unique and remote environment. I’ll have the chance to explore, research, collaborate with diverse international artists and scientists, experiment, develop, and create new work that further expands my practice, captures the isolated beauty of the Arctic, and raises awareness of its ecological significance. I can’t wait to share updates and outcomes from this experience! 

 

 

 

 

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The Good Lab – Artist Residency Update

 
Last night’s exhibition opening was fantastic, and an honour to be part of this with such talented artists while we are here in Chiang Mai together.

It has been a whirlwind of a week, with all 21 artists from across the world, with artists from here in Thailand, and from Indonesia, The Philippines, Portugal, Cambodia, Spain, Taiwan, the USA and fellow Australians, all getting to know each other and our practices, sharing ideas, inspirations, and already brainstorming together ways to collaborate on outcomes for week two.

We kicked everything off with an impromptu house party with the New Burma collective, then a welcome dinner together, and I believe on day two, we had a fabulous walking tour looking at the architecture of the people by the even more fabulous professor Ajarn Phuwa of Studiophuwa, which was so fascinating.

Two panel discussions in the grounds of Wat Chomphu Temple, on the re-invention of Public space in Chiang Mai, with Phwua, and remarkable artists Wave Weeratouch Pongruengkiat, and Krai Sridee, and Art for Air, a time for reflection, looking at the issues of the pollution crisis here, with insights of the work and research by artist Som Supaparinya, Worapoth Kongngern and Sasiwimon Wongjarin, founder and director of Studio 88 artist residency, where we also met a group of environmental artists also currently on residency here in Chaing Mai, with Sasiwimon.

Lucky for me, I also got to celebrate my birthday in the middle of this residency! So, on my birthday, we went to the Loft Cafe/Golden Land Solidarity Collective (what a beautiful space! I highly recommend if you find yourself in Chiang Mai) for a creative talk and panel discussion, ‘Aren’t We All Displaced?’ where we heard from the inspirational, Hnin Yee, the co-founder of Newburma Suchart, co-founder of Titang, Ganji of Triple Edge and Breanna, the founder of Golden Land Solidarity Collective, who are all actively doing so much for their communities, to support, empower, advocate and celebrate the culture and people of Myanmar and those displaced.

We then ended the evening with a screening on a rooftop of a Sudanese film, ‘Talking About Trees’, Directed by Suhaib Gasmelbari, which was hosted by Dude Movie, a film screening collective decentralising access to moving image. This was such a fitting location to watch this film, given the topic, where the filmmakers struggled to open and screen a film in an open-air cinema for their community.

Along with another screening of documentaries on Friday night of ‘Mother and Me’, by Setthasiri Chanaradpong, for its premiere in Northern Thailand, and Captial of Mae La, by Nuankhanit Phromchanya, which was followed by talk on the topic of displaced people, with the directors and Sorayut Aiemueayut, writer of ‘Becoming Melayu’, Walai Buppha, producer of ‘Mother and Me’ and curator of ‘Heard the Unheard: Remembrance of Tak Bai 2004, Hnin the co-founder of Newburma and Nuankhanit Belle Phromchanya, Director of Capital of Maela.

I have also seen and made friends with so many street cats, walked a ridiculous amount each day, so much so that my phone is confused by the increased step count. Shared and enjoyed incredible food and drinks with artists and locals while sharing stories and experiences. Heaps of live music and late-night adventures. Followed each morning by copious amounts of coffee as we have all tried to digest the intense week we have had over week one of The Good Lab residency by Micro Galleries.

And while I am still processing much of it, and I suspect I will be for quite some time, it has already inspired so much, and I am so thankful for the experience and the connections I am making here.
Today is a quiet and slower start, which is very much needed. After our opening last night and dancing the night away at a cool underground bar, I am currently in a van heading up the mountain with everyone to experience the last night of the Shambhala festival.
I am looking forward to the final week of collaborations and working with the community to reclaim an old alleyway into a more welcoming and safe space for the community. 

 

 

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