Cliff faces along the Great Ocean Road have weathered and eroded for millennia. The ever-changing cliff faces illustrate the immensity and vastness of geological time. Cliffs are constantly shaped by gravity, strong winds and powerful waves. Fragments of rock break away leaving behind cavities, ledges and irregularities. Weathered Cliff captures a fleeting moment in this process.
The work was woven flat with a combination of yarns and wire. It was manipulated, shaped and anchored into a rigid curvilinear form and onto its base. The shifting of colour, contrast of light and variations of tension in the form are reminiscent of the rugged coastline. The base encapsulates nature’s rhythmical forces and symbolises the relationships between the rocks, the waves and the shimmering ambiance while reflecting back the landscape.
The cliff faces are part of an infinite journey. Weathered Cliff reminds us nothing remains stable, the only constant is endless change.
handwoven cashmere, cotton, monofilament, silk, copper and stainless-steel wire, wool, hand-fabricated stainless steel base
42 x 60 x 22 cm
Viewers' Choice Award; Finalist
Christine Appleby, in conversation with Professor Ian Howard, discusses her work Weathered Cliff. Recorded on 6 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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