Hope Eddies and Microclimates: Arche Noah

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Research Background: The work Hope Eddies and Microclimates Arche Noah, questions how the temporal aspects of a gardens micro-climate can be made manifest in an art work to create a platform for the consideration of ideas associated with food production, human agency and broader historical, cultural and ecological contexts. There are parallels in this research with a growing number of contemporary artist including Fischli and Weiss (Munster 1997) and Song Dong (Documenta 13) who utilise gardens as a heterotopic site that engage physical, temporal and subjective components.Research Contribution: The creative work documents a field of high visability gloves reengineered as wind vanes in Arche Noah, Austria's leading heritage seed collection vegetable garden. The gloves mimetic relationship to the human body and the site specific context generate new understandings of the role of gardens and food production in relation to self and heteronomous determination, order and control, agency and power. The work makes an original contribution to creative works utilising gardens to engage historical, cultural and ecological contexts through the unique combination of site, mimesis, chance, time and duration. Research Significance: The work was produced and exhibited during an international jury selected artists' residency at iAir Krems, Austria and funded by Kunst and Kultur in Neiderosterreich, Galerie IG Bildenden Kunst and The School of Art Research Fund. The exhibition with internationally renowned artist Katrin Hornek was curated by Elke Smodics-Kuscher and Alexandra Hennig (catalogue essay). This project built on a smaller version of Hope eddies and microclimates that was produced in my Melbourne vegetable garden. This work was exhibited at Margaret Lawrence Gallery, VCA and Conical, Melbourne and reviewed by Robert Nelson in The Age. (http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/canes-and-the-able--grand-themes-given-fresh-airing-20120501-1xwwx.html)