This year is proving to be one filled with career highlights and work I am incredibly proud of. Sometimes I have to remind myself it was just over 10 years ago that I was embarking on this journey – struggling to believe it might be possible, learning new skills, making so many mistakes and feeling so, so hopeful each time I got to pick up my camera.
The Biennale of Australian Art was borne of Director Julie Collins’ dream to create the largest ever showcase of Australian living artists. And I feel incredibly lucky to have been selected as one of the 150 artists to exhibit at this 6 week festival.
The work I have created for this festival was a reflection on the impact social media is having on our society, the expectations we have of our lives and how we view the lives of those around us.
As I wrote in my artist statement:
“Perspective” is a reminder to myself. In a world where everyone is shouting from social media about their highs and lows, I feel at times we lack the slow steady pace of consistency. The creation of this work was as much a challenge as I now ask of the viewer in watching. Can you sit, seemingly as though nothing is happening and trust that it is? In creating this work, each of the 5379 drops reminded me that calm does not mean stagnancy as much as turbulence does not mean progress. One drop at a time, the glass fills.
The exhibition consists of a video projection, where stillness moves and makes progress, contrasted against 6 still images of turbulant water, which is going nowhere in it’s frozen state. It is a reminder that sometimes we make more headway when we are measured and calm, even during difficult times than we do by getting caught up in drama.
BOAA is on from 21 September – 6 November 2018 at various locations across Ballarat. Michelle’s work can be seen at the George Farmer building, part of BOAA’s Eureka Village.
