into the light of tinsel town

Artwork from Sculpture by the Sea, 2014 (Bondi to Tamarama, Sydney)

Changes. They're mostly good, no? Let's hope so as I've made some rather large ones lately. For starters I've left my beloved Melbourne to live in sparkly, glitzy, shiny Sydney. After a decade of living in Melbourne (this time) I'm back to Sydney where I last lived 16 years ago. But so much has changed in this town since I last left. Whole areas that had very few people living in them are now massive residential areas with many, many medium-density apartment blocks (Alexandria, Zetland and parts of Waterloo). And there are more people generally and the city feels busier. But it still has many of the lovely things that I remember well from living here before.

So I'm exploring new and old places. I'm discovering that yoga classes now cost $30 (eep!) and that people are obsessed with living 'clean' here (read lots of time spent in wholefood cafes). I'm having fun finding my way around as I ride my bike up and down the steep hills that surround my new home.

I'll be looking for an open access print studio in the inner city/inner west areas soon. If anyone has a recommendation please let me know.

The funniest thing about the move so far has been the number of Sydney people who have asked (incredulously) 'why on earth did you move from Melbourne to Sydney?'. Like I've committed a crime against culture or something. Too funny. This two-city rivalry thing never stops, does it?

the thing is done

It is done. The thesis has been examined and passed. And as weird as it sounds (to me at least), I am now a 'Dr'.

It's been a wonderful experience. I know not many people say that about doing a PhD. Most talk about the torture of it all, the marathon that it is. And of course there is plenty of hard work, a fair proportion of pain, and the journey is long for most, but oh how much I have learned!

My thesis is titled Creative practice, value, and the teaching of art and design in higher education. If you want to see a digital copy of the entire document click here. 

So many thank yous are needed and most have been covered in my thesis acknowledgment section. But I want to say another huge public thank you to the University of Melbourne who funded me to do the PhD through a scholarship. I am very honoured and utterly grateful.

And now for non-thesis writing weekends. And more printmaking!

studio practice, performativity and the public gaze

Truth be told there has been some printmaking happening around here recently, but not a whole lot. I finally got to the studio last weekend to print some new drypoint etchings. But I'm not overly happy with the results (I messed up quite a few in my hurried attempt to do a lot in a short time) so will take a slightly different approach and print again from the same plates soon.

While the printmaking has been slow, there has been quite a bit of post-PhD-thesis-submission brain tinkering though. I've been thinking (and writing) a lot about the notion of creative practice and performativity, and how this becomes enhanced through the use of virtual tools such as blogs and Instagram to reveal studio practice. I am fascinated with the idea of the public gaze and what this might mean for how artists and designers think about their artist/designer identities.

More soon once I've finished the writing and (hopefully) get it published.

In the meantime, I'd be happy to hear any thoughts you have on this topic.