The Making of Flourish – thrive prosper bloom

An excited me next to the final full size prototype of one of the Flourishes. This was made for final sign-off of the central element details. Photograph by Poppy Veerasawmy (Creative Facade).

BACKGROUND

In early 2014 I was shortlisted, along with three other Australian Artists, to competitively bid for The Milton Artwork Public Artwork Façade opportunity. Each artist had six weeks to develop a unique artwork concept and submit a detailed expression of interest that included their artwork concept, composition, buildability and fabrication methodology.

Concept behind Flourish – Patterns of Milton’s early land use and how they mirrored some of the micro structures within native and crop species.

After visiting Milton and undertaking research into the site’s history I was intrigued by Milton’s development over time. Of particular interest were the patterns of early land use and how they mirrored the micro cellulose structures within native and crop species. I  tested my initial concepts using a series of small handmade models. Some of the models just tested the individual elements’ form, while larger studies explored the overall composition and visual permeability of the artwork. These studies then directly informed the 3D computer models and renders. Flourish’s composition frames a field’s edge where native flora have re-grown and flourished.

Different from all angles – Flourish handmade artwork of a small portion of The Milton Artwork Facade for my Concept Proposal, February 2014 (Dimensions 550 x 375mm). Photography Christina Waterson.

Concept render of view from within the spaces behind Flourish, prepared for my Milton Artwork Facade Concept Proposal, February 2014.

Initial concept render of Flourish – thrive prosper bloom, February 2014. The artwork marks the Railway Terrace entrance to Milton Train Station.

My final EOI included the Flourish artwork concept; handmade models; facade elevations and sections; interior and exterior views; assembly methodology; as well as detailed quotations from three local manufacturers.

In late 2014 to my joy I’d successfully been selected as the preferred artist for the project.

Showing colour and how the work progressed throughout the process – here is the revised concept render of Flourish presented to the BCC.

After initial briefing with the Project Stakeholders I incorporated their great feedback to add colour and further develop the composition option that incorporated a central dimensional flourish design framed by flatter border panels. At the end of 2014 my revised composition was approved by the Client and submitted to the Brisbane City Council (BCC).

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT, FABRICATION  AND INSTALLATION

Team meetings with the client, fabricators and documenters for design development, documentation and prototyping happened in the first half of 2015.

One of many prototypes made by Auzmet for Hutchinson Builders, during Design Development and Documentation. Pictured is a half scale prototype of a central Flourish element with the border design. Photography by Christina Waterson.

This was an intensive and rewarding process in which details of the artwork and its elements were streamlined for material properties and sheet efficiency; as well as for the fabrication process. The artwork’s overall layout was further developed during this time to accommodate weight and support requirements. The design of the fretwork was developed to meet the revised free air requirements in those areas while also concealing the artworks orthogonal support frame. I worked closely with Poppy Veerasawmy (Creative Facade) throughout this process.

The final colours (based on native flower species), artwork layout and details were signed off in May 2015 with the approved design being fabricated in June and July. It was really great that the artwork was made in Brisbane by local manufacturers who specialise in metal fabrication and coating. It meant I could visit each fabricator on a regular basis, stay in touch with progress and photograph the fabrication process.

Just a few of the 200 or more Flourish parts awaiting finishing and transport to the painters. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Labelling of parts that make up the central Flourish panels prior to coating. Photography by Christina Waterson.

At the painters each element was painted prior to assembly. Photography by  Christina Waterson.

During installation of the central Flourish area. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Installation started in August and was completed in September 2015. I visited the site weekly to see how the artwork had grown. It was an affirming experience to witness it evolve to completion. The details that we’d worked through during design development/documentation contributed to the overall effect and success of the artwork.

View to Flourish – thrive prosper bloom from Railway Terrace footpath. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Different from different angles: An acute detailed view to Flourish – thrive prosper bloom north along Railway Terrace. Photography by Christina Waterson.

An acute detailed view Flourish – thrive prosper bloom south along Railway Terrace. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015 from Railway Terrace, Milton. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Long front view of Flourish from Manning Street approach. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Since Flourish’s completion I’ve received lovely feedback from visitors to Milton. People especially love the artwork elements, colour and the way the composition looks different from all angles.

PROJECT DETAILS

Client: Commissioned by Aveo Group Ltd and Hutchinson Builders

Name: Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015

Medium: Painted steel

Location: The Milton Residences, 55 Railway Terrace Milton, Queensland, Australia.

Artwork Area: Over 440 sqm

Built locally in Brisbane by Hutchinson Builders through Auzmet, Creative Facade, GCI Group, and Peerless Painting and Sandblasting.

Favourites from 2015

JANUARY – Oh Lorikeet 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

FEBRUARY – Nomenclature 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

MARCH – Plexa Projection (William Jolly Bridge) 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

APRIL – Beach haze days 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

MAY – Dream Lichen Tree 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

JUNE – Yellow Tailed Black Cockatoo Descending 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

JULY – Flourish Parts Await Finishing 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

AUGUST – Glass Light Shadow 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

SEPTEMBER – Brisbane Silhouette 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

OCTOBER – Palm Memory of Growth 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

NOVEMBER – Delicate Yet Everlasting 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

DECEMBER – Striated Pardalote 2015. Photography Christina Waterson.

See these and all photos from 2015 at my instagram.

 

 

 

The Concept behind Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015

Detailed view to Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015 from Railway Terrace, Milton. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Flourish references the site context of Milton as a rich point of intensity in the development of Brisbane – from its natural pre-settlement geography of fresh water creeks feeding the Brisbane River, providing fertile hunting and fishing grounds for Aboriginal people, to the early township farms established on the rich alluvial flats. Inspired by the micro structure of plant cellulose, Flourish expresses concepts of growth, mimicking the natural processes of cell division and reproduction while referencing native flora for its colour palette.

Imagery from my research into Milton’s history and it’s development over time. Of particular interest were the patterns of early land use and how they mirrored some of the micro structures within native and crop species.

The early settlement farms were quickly followed by industry and transport systems and today Milton continues to thrive as a key node for social and commercial exchange. Flourish thus attempts to capture and express the layers of these site relationships.

Detail of the top of the artwork screen. Photography Christina Waterson.

It’s bespoke composition frames a field’s edge where native flora have re-grown and flourished. The elements that form Flourish’s central composition are part of the family of forms used in the Stellar Collection with TAIT and artwork entitled Celestial Analogue 2014. Flourish’s elements are scaled to the city and have unique details that address the specific screening and ventilation requirements of The Milton building.

Overall view of Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015 from Railway Terrace, Milton. Photography by Christina Waterson.

The interlocking forms gather themselves to intensity in the centre as the work knits and folds in upon itself and into the built form, circulating light, shade, and colour in ever repeating patterns.

Flourish uses dimensional thickness to create a mesmerising surface that responds to view, light and shadow and in this way gives different experiences throughout the day and from distinct vantage points. My fascination with three-dimensional surfaces and patterning is a constant thread that runs through my practice, artworks and product collections.

Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015, commissioned by Aveo Group Ltd and Hutchinson Builders for The Milton Residences, is my largest public work realised to date.

Studio Sojourn in the Hills

View from the Studio in the hills with local wonder companion Benson who visits the studio daily. Photography Christina Waterson.

 

Textures and layering of beautiful landscape all around. Photography Christina Waterson.

I’ve enjoyed a studio sojourn since moving from my beloved long term studio in Brisbane. The move and new rural surroundings (with a great community of creatives and passionate people) have guided my work to new levels while allowing me to better balance work and life. I’ve had a deeper connection to nature (wildlife; seasons and natural cycles that inform my work) and to my inner self through the time and experience.

View to great studio with focused work space fitted out with beautiful objects including Darcy Clarke’s Tuesday Collection (Construct work table and Hoopla feature pendant pictured). Photography Christina Waterson.

Many of the projects I’ve worked on throughout 2015 have been large-scale high stake projects, so having a good base has been essential to keeping it real; staying relaxed and focused; and remembering why I am an artist.

Thank you to  Darcy Clarke for sharing the most amazing studio in the hills with the sky and beautiful things all around!

 

It’s been a busy 2015

Looking up at part of Flourish – thrive prosper bloom 2015 a major public artwork realised for The Milton residences, Brisbane – Australia. Photography Christina Waterson

Hello there! Yes it’s been a while since I’ve posted to Tracepattern. In 2015 I’ve been super-busy on a number of projects: especially in realising a large scale public artwork entitled Flourish – thrive prosper bloom for The Milton residences. It’s almost complete and I’m so happy to finally share the project with you. More details of what I’ve been up to and, of course, the process of realising such a large scale work.

PS. In the mean time check out all of my latest news and inspiration at my official instagram site. It’s been a big year!

 

Made Me Smile 03

Silky Oak in bloom. Photography Christina Waterson.

I have had so many beautiful things make me smile and bring me joy over the last few months. A small selection is included here. You may notice that some of the images are in a square format. That’s because they are from my instagram account that I’ve been experimenting with. Check out more images and inspiration at my instagram.

Amazing visions of beauty by Fashion Designer and creative force Gail Sorronda for her Mermaids Exist Collection. Pictured here is shimmering model Chelsea Crawford wearing the Undercurrent Neckpiece by Christina Waterson for Gail Sorronda. Hair by Redken Australia and Makeup by Mac Cosmetics. Photography Megan Cullen. Photo Courtesy of Gail Sorronda.

Studio Artefact Student’s work. I am pictured with Ross Summergreene as we critique our Studio’s work for Project 1, ARCH2200 at The University of Queensland. Photography Daniel Byung.

Watching people watching fireworks. Photography Christina Waterson.

Love for earthenware. Czech Deco circa 1920’s to 30’s by Ditmar Urbach pictured. Also sometimes known as ‘Alienware’ by US Collectors. Photography Christina Waterson.

Appreciating a unique moment after a storm. Photography Christina Waterson.

Beautiful birdie vase from Cibi with flower tail by Minka. Photography Christina Waterson.

The strange little things I collect like these Japanese Sugar Sticks. Photography Christina Waterson.

Launching the Stellar Collection with the amazing TAIT. More on that to come! Pictured is one of the sculptural screens in the Stellar Collection. I love those shadows.  Photography Christina Waterson.

 

 

My Studio Move

My Torbreck Home and Studio of Seven Years. Photography Aidan Murphy 2008.

Maybe you’ve noticed I have been extremely quiet of late. I’ve been busy planning, packing and de-cluttering in preparation for moving from my precious Torbreck studio and home of seven years. It was a major undertaking, made more difficult by the success of my creative practice and a very busy 2014. A good problem to have – yes!

I launched my creative business from this studio in 2007. The unique light and outlook at Torbreck has been inspirational. Many of my collections including The Komodo Series 2008; The Bloom Series 2009; Scale Screen 2012; Shadow Set 2012 and Soft Cell 2012/14 were conceived or made as small tentative studies at this special address.

The Komodo Series 2008 by Christina Waterson including (L > R) Poly Woven Study, X-Screen (Solid Edition) and Plexa Screen 2008. Photography Christina Waterson 2014.

Early one morning in my Studio, April 2014. Photography Christina Waterson 2014.

A special inspirational place. Me pictured with Fall 2002 and Taking Flight parts 2010. Portrait for 2014.

For me this place represents freedom and escape, light and openness, and I feel many of these aspects are part of the work I conceived and made while residing and working there in the sky. While I am deeply saddened to leave this special place I know an exciting new chapter is just beginning.

Always home for sunset. Photography Christina Waterson 2014.

A special thank you to Linda, Ty, Alex and David from Torbreck who everyday go above and beyond to make Torbreck a special place to live and enjoy!

 

My Ivory St Installations

Fall 2002 Concept for Ivory Street Window Installation in 2005 part of Unleashed 2005, artisan. Illustration by Christina Waterson.

Over almost a decade I have enjoyed exhibiting my large-scale installations in artisan’s Ivory Street Window. The space is perfect; it’s protected while being very public; outward looking to Ivory and Brunswick Street and therefore an accessible way to present to people who wouldn’t ordinarily get to engage with my larger scale works. People can appreciate the installations there day and night as they walk, drive or bus by. The space also affords a different understanding of ones work through the light, movement, near and far approach; and the scale of the window space and street itself.

I’ve presented installations in artisan’s Ivory Street Window at key moments in my practice. Here I share with you a snap shot of the three installations undertaken in 2005, 2008 and most recently 2014.

Fall 2002 Detail of Ivory Street Installation 2005. Photography Andrea Higgins for artisan.

Fall 2002 was installed in artisan’s Ivory Street Window in 2005 as part of Unleashed exhibition.  Fall’s interlocking stainless steel elements cascade against the surface of the wall with its elements able to be reconfigured into a hanging installation (Rest 2002) and stacked horizontally (Align 2002).

Fall 2002 Detail of Ivory Street Installation 2005. Photography Christina Waterson.

Gravity transformed the perfect geometric forms into a scurry of movement and light. The stainless steel elements quivered with slight changes in air flow and their thin edges reflected the smallest presence of light. Street and traffic lights as well as headlights of passing cars were beautifully reflected in the work’s thin stainless steel edges. Fall is now an important part of my personal collection and takes pride of place in my living room.

Plexus #1 2008 installed in artisan’s Ivory Street Window in 2008. Photography by Andrea Higgins for artisan.

Plexus #1 (Cardboard Prototype Komodo Series) 2008 hand cut and woven in recycled cardboard. Presented in artisan’s Ivory Street in 2008. Photography Andrea Higgins for artisan.

In 2008 I showcased a preliminary hand cut cardboard prototype of Plexus #1 (Part of the Komodo Series launched later that year at Living Edge, Brisbane). The series includes three-dimensional arrays, weavings and sculptural objects that explore beautiful repetitive, structural forms at a variety of scales.

Plexus #1 (Cardboard Prototype Komodo Series) 2008 detail showing the space of the window and materiality of the work. Photography Andrea Higgins for artisan.

As people moved past the the window installation they would see ever shifting tessellation between the work and its shadow. Closer inspection revealed the delightful materiality and complexity of the interwoven elements. Over the month Plexus #1 was in artisan’s Ivory Street Window it evolved and grew; with new elements added weekly until it finally filled the window.

Day time street view of Sequence 01 – Soft Cell (Domestic Bliss Exotic Dream) 2014. Photography Christina Waterson.

Dusk street view of Sequence 04 – Soft Cell (Domestic Bliss Exotic Dream) 2014. Photography Courtesy of Richard Stride for artisan.

Soft Cell 2014 was installed during May 2014. The installation evolved through five distinct sequences and was a playful and colourful installation of my latest collection and softer direction.

Night time street view of the final sequence of growth – Soft Cell (Domestic Bliss Exotic Dream) 2014. Photography Christina Waterson.

More on this my latest installation – Soft Cell 2014 and the whole collection in a future post! STAY TUNED!

THANK YOU artisan; idea skill product for supporting my work through display and exhibition over the past decade. 

 

 

Colony 2010 comes home

Colony 2010. Made in Agathis Australis (New Zealand Kauri or Kauri). Photography Jon Linkins.

After touring Australia for the past year for WOOD: art design architecture, Colony 2010 came home to Queensland this month and is presently on show at the QUT Art Museum. The Kauri used for Colony 2010 is very old, has passed through many hands and travelled countless miles. In the 1800’s Kauri Pines, tens of thousands of years old were felled in Northern New Zealand and shipped to Australia.

This complex work was made possible through working with a highly skilled artisan based near Mapleton, Queensland. His knowledge of making and respect for the wood is evident in the final piece. The precious wood was used as efficiently as possible. Photography Christina Waterson.

This timber was used for bridges, boats and storage vats because of its strength and natural resistance to rot. During this time the Kauri used in Colony 2010 was shipped to Sydney and made into rum vats for the Pyrmont distillery that began operation in the 1890’s. In the early 1990’s the distillery was closed and the Kauri staves from the vats were salvaged.

I grew up in Bundaberg (Queensland) where sugar and rum production were the main industries. Pictured here are large Bundaberg rum vats similar to those from the Pyrmont Distillery. Photo courtesy of Bundaberg Rum Ltd.

Traces of the timber’s previous use have been kept in Colony 2010. Some panels still have the rum visible in their surface: appearing as darker lines and shades. The rum soaked staves wafted of rum as they were machined. Colony 2010 is an experiment. It is a lesson in what not to do with wood. The wood staves have been cut to reveal the patterned end grain of the Kauri to show the age of the original tree. While the timber is very old and stable this type of cutting and tapering has really pushed the material to its limit.

Colony 2010 (Detail). Photography Jon Linkins.

The finite nature of Kauri Pine: the tree and the wood, have informed the work’s arrangement. Colony 2010 is made up of like, repeated parts grouped together for strength, protection and support. At the edges is where the work is vulnerable but also where it is most likely to grow, multiply and seek out new ground.

Colony 2010 silhouette. The edge holds the greatest potential for growth or vulnerability. Photography Jon Linkins.

At the edges of society, culture and thinking this dichotomy also exists. At these edges creative endeavours, new ideas and ways of thinking push forward into unknown territory or pull back to safer ground. At the edge there is the potential to succeed and grow, or risk everything, fail and retreat. Colony 2010 holds true to this condition by pushing material, form and ideas of function. Its existence is a result of pure belief and a will to strive for something more. Seeing this work again reminded me just how lucky I am to still be on this journey, despite all odds.

WOOD: art design architecture is on show at the QUT Art Museum until 29 June 2014. Check out there website for public programmes, events and workshops related to wood (the material and the exhibition). WOOD: art design architecture resulted from a collaboration between JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design and Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, where it was presented in February through early April 2013, with the exhibition continuing its national tour throughout 2013 and 2014. Take a closer look at my review of the original exhibition here.

 

 

 

 

 

WOOD: art design architecture

WOOD: art design architecture exhibition view at Jam Factory Contemporary Craft and Design. Photography by Christina Waterson.

The national touring exhibition WOOD: art design architecture opened in Brisbane at the QUT Art Museum last week. I thought I would share with you my review of the exhibition written originally for ArchitectureAU online on the occasion of the exhibition first opening at JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design, in February 2013. And so not to ruin the experience of seeing the work in QUT’s generous sequence of exhibition spaces, I have only included photos of the original JamFactory installation that accompanied the text below. Enjoy!

Greer Honeywill’s This housing estate is not to scale #2 (foreground) and Boot Lace by Sherrie Knipe with Colony by Christina Waterson, behind. Photography by Christina Waterson.

WOOD: art design architecture celebrates our long relationship with wood and presents its diverse properties and qualities, along with the multiplicity of ways it can be worked. The exhibition includes work from twenty-eight Australian exhibitors who either work directly with wood, or with skilled crafts-people. The pieces relate to each other on several levels to form an overall vision for the exhibition based on figure and form; pushing material limits; craftsmanship and our eternal connection to wood – through place, nature, use and memory.

Interior and architectural projects are part of the showing. These are often difficult to appreciate in an exhibition context without directly experiencing the made place in real-time, but each project is presented in a distinct way to give an insight not available in the experience of the actual project.

Brian Hooper and m3architecture’s Tree of Knowledge Memorial 2009 is presented through a single key image alongside one of the recycled hardwood elements used to reinstate the aura around the remains of the Tree of Knowledge. This allows an intimate experience of these elements (that hang out of reach in the actual project) and thus enables an appreciation of the hardwood’s age, materiality and previous life as telephone and electrical poles. A simple scale model of March Studio’s Baker D. Chirico on the other hand emphasises the contour like nature of its interior plywood ceiling and wall strata.

John Wardle Architects’ Jewellery Box with form studies of the Shearers Quarters project. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Small massing and form models of John Wardle Architect’s Shearer’s Quarters project are displayed in an elegant spruce jewellery box with sliding drawer. The Jewellery Box is crafted with the same care and attention to detail as the office’s architectural projects and represents a key part of the practice – the relationships formed with highly skilled craftsman to achieve complex architectural ideas. The fruit of these key relationships is found in the joyful and intimate experiences that punctuate life lived in and around this practice’s buildings.

Piti, 2012 by Billy and Lulu Cooley uses river red gum burnt with design, displayed alongside Clipped Wing Bench in Tasmanian Blackwood by Simon Ancher. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Hossein Valamanesh’s Breathe 2012, bronze cast from assembled twigs and branches, celebrates the life-giving force of nature, forests and trees. Architect Drew Heath’s spaces are warmed by light that has been warmed by wood’s hue. Developed within the experimental confines of his own home, Heath’s light lintels (on display) and layered ceilings incorporate marine plywood to warm our modern-day fluorescents.

Amore mio chair in American black walnut by Jon Goulder with Tom Miram’s The Memory Keeper, 2012 (background). Photography by Christina Waterson.

Tom Miram’s The Memory Keeper 2012 is made from the trunk of a fallen coastal grey box, and marks his connection to the place of his childhood, and the history of change along its river valley. Other works show the process of realising work in wood.

Requiem (spirit of the beehive) by Lionel Bawden (right) with Greer Honeywill’s This housing estate is not to scale #2 (left) and Plantation Chair by Alexander Lotersztain (behind). Photography by Christina Waterson.

Alexander Lotersztain’s marine plywood Plantation Chair prototype (a step to the final design with adjustment marks and cuts) is displayed beside a standard plywood sheet nested with the assembly elements of four Plantation Chairs and accompanying Eggcups. Sherrie Knipe’s patterned Boot Lace and John Quan’s incredibly thin Flexible Desk Lamp push timber veneer to its limits, while offering playful outcomes.

Visitors appreciate the detailed pattern in Boot Lace by Sherrie Knipe. Photography Christina Waterson.

Brief 2012 (my favourite work in the exhibition) by Damien Wright, is a large dining table made using ancient petrified Red Gum and Ringed Gidgee. Its honesty, logic and refinement exemplifies Wright’s adept skill and the unique techniques he has developed to form these hard to work timbers. The undulating drawer fronts of Khai Liew Julian Chest 2011 invite touch and use to appreciate the solid American black walnut. It is made with care and exactitude and will age gracefully over generations to come.

Up close with Khai Liew’s Julian Chest 2011, solid American black walnut with patinated copper inlay. Photography by Christina Waterson.

Throughout my visit to this exhibition, I felt a strong desire to touch the works – to get up close, to see the grain and smell the scent of the woods used. Our long, close up and personal relationship with wood is kindled by this heart-felt exhibition and beautiful accompanying publication. Wood is warm to touch, alive and ever-changing and continues to find a place within our lives and memories.

WOOD: art design architecture resulted from a collaboration between JamFactory Contemporary Craft and Design and Botanic Gardens of Adelaide, where it was presented in February through early April 2013 with the exhibition continuing its national tour throughout 2013 and 2014. The exhibition at QUT Art Museum continues until 29 June 2014. See their website for details.