Activate docklands
Hello everyone! I am thrilled to write this blog post to express my gratitude to MAB, CoM, and Renew Australia for providing me with a wonderful opportunity to participate in their program and develop my artistic practice in their space. It has been six months since I was selected for the program, and I am excited to share my experience with you.
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, I applied for a program to reactivate key areas of the city, and I proposed to open a gallery and workshop space for people to admire my sculptures and artwork by other artists while also witnessing the chaotic and marvellous process of artistic creation. When Renew Australia informed me that my proposal had been selected in partnership with MAB, and that there might be a place for my sculptures and chaos in the Docklands, I was overjoyed.
As a woodcarver, I have been living in Melbourne for fifteen years, and I have seen the Docklands area grow and mature. Although it was very different from my previous workshop space high in the misty forest of the Macedon range, I could see myself making something special there. The dazzling glass, the buzz of human activity, the high winds and bright sunsets - the contrast of the natural and human realms - is precisely what my artistic practice aims to embody and reveal. It's a fertile ground.
The reception from the local community has been fantastic. Many residents come in to chat, and I get tons of interested looks from local kids on their way to and from school. I've started to get to know the dogs whose path borders my gallery, and their owners, of course. The local barista knows how I like my coffee (long black, strong), the world-class painter next door comes for a creative chat, and some new clients have even walked in to commission a sculpture or browse my eclectic collection. It's great to witness and be part of, and it's the living proof that a village is a mindset.
As I receive orders for larger works, I will likely be expanding to a more substantial workshop, ideally outdoors. For the current space, I still envision doing smaller scale works, where I slowly tap away with chisels. It is more conducive to conversation and a lot less chaotic. I have been in conversation with a few artists whose work is synergistic with mine - painters mostly, some sculptors, an eccentric high couture maestro, and ceramicists too. I would like to use the space primarily as a gallery, displaying a selection of artworks and offering the well-lit areas by the windows to artists in residence.
I must say that it has been fantastic to have the freedom to explore that in the space, with complete carte blanche. Few people know that side of art, that it should be allowed to be bad at times, messy often, that we need to risk making mistakes or to get stuck in the same idea time and time again. You can't refine if it's never raw to start with. I have the feeling that MAB really got behind that - they get it. My sculpture process itself is very similar; it starts with a perfectly fine, perfectly anodine bit of wood, and often I need to make it quite messy, burn, dig, scratch, oil, burn again, buff, cut, gouge, sand, oil... until it comes together. Sometimes, all of a sudden, I realise "wow, it's there!" I feel it's getting there with the gallery, all of a sudden.
Looking into the future, I would like to keep some of the live creative element while allowing a more polished, fine art directed aesthetic to prevail. I am moving to more substantial works, and at some point when I have to choose between using the space as a workshop or a gallery I feel privileged to be part of it, to showcase their work, and to have the opportunity to collaborate with them.
I am grateful to Renew Australia, MAB, and CoM for giving me the opportunity to participate in this program, and I believe it has been a win-win situation for all parties involved. The Docklands area has gained a unique art space that adds to its cultural vibrancy, and I have been able to expand my practice and connect with other artists and the local community.
In conclusion, I would like to encourage other artists to seek out similar opportunities in their communities. Programs like this provide a valuable platform for artists to showcase their work, connect with others, and contribute to the cultural enrichment of their cities. Art is a vital part of our society, and initiatives like these help to ensure that it continues to thrive and grow.
