Working in a symbiotic and intimate manner with collected nature that has completed its life cycle, Newberry constructs new narratives by creating detailed hybridised forms from plant materials that are dried or pressed. The sculpture uses a recycled domestic device and reconstructed plant forms to create a surreal construction as a miniature monument to nature. It takes both native and introduced plant species and intertwines them to reveal and express a new dialogue. Traditional hand embroidery is expanded into a three dimensional state, transforming and detailing the very surface of the plant itself. Ikebana principles influence both its form and the way in which plants find new life as materials for art making.
dried plant matter, recycled wood, recycled metal, wire, thread
11.5 x 11.5 x 40 cm
Finalist
Christina Newberry, in conversation with Sebastian Goldspink, discusses her work Hybrid #1. Recorded on 7 November 2021 at the 20th Anniversary Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize exhibition, Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf.
Judges of the 20th Anniversary Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize: Dr Lara Strongman (Director Curatorial and Digital, Museum of Contemporary Art Australia), Joanna Capon OAM (Art Historian, Curator and Industrial Archaeologist) and Jenny Kee AO (Artist and Fashion Designer).
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