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W e b s i t e o f V i s u a l A r t i s t S o p h i e M u n n s b a s e d i n B r i s b a n e , A u s t r a l i a
On this page you'll find updates from 2016 & 2017... an intensely busy couple of years. The calendar for 2018 has a strong focus on studio time ... a welcome phase after recent years filled with residencies away, travel & teaching. For a more general overview of whats been happening visit the artist's online sites... blog SEEDARTLAB JOURNAL started in 2009 is updated from time to time. Instagram is however currently the go-to place for a current overview of the ongoing project & art practice & at Facebook... the artist's page: Homage to the Seed is updated most days. Join the conversation if you wish!
2017 HONG KONG RESIDENCIES :
MAY 2017 Sophie Munns travelled to Hong Kong for a 4 week residency at the ISF Academy in Pokfulum on Hong Kong Island. To see notes & view the slideshow scroll down under paintings sent to Massachusetts in the U.S.
NOVEMBER 2017 the artist conducted a second Hong Kong Residency at the Kellett British International School in Kowloon Bay.
View the slideshow here:
MAY 2017 Sophie Munns travelled to Hong Kong for a 4 week residency at the ISF Academy in Pokfulum on Hong Kong Island. To see notes & view the slideshow scroll down under paintings sent to Massachusetts in the U.S.
NOVEMBER 2017 the artist conducted a second Hong Kong Residency at the Kellett British International School in Kowloon Bay.
View the slideshow here:
THE KELLETT RESIDENCY COMMENCED MONDAY OCT 30TH FOR 4 WEEKS.
The Residency program established with Head Art Teacher Sue Perks it was decided would concentrate on working with Year 7 who would participate in the creation of a large artwork on linen ... 16 m x 1m ... to be hung permanently in the School Atrium.
WEEK 1: orientation week setting up the studio, establishing plans for each stage of the project, preparing the Linen & working through the design.
WEEK 2: two main tasks - prep for Week 3 which involved working in the Atrium with 125 students painting a 16 metre long panel work on Linen & conducting lessons with students introducing them to the Homage to the Seed project & a range of art processes exploring Seed Diversity. Several staff ... Sue Perks, Art teacher Magi Chen + Art technician Evans were hands-on making sure all was ready for Monday Morning in the Atrium.
WEEK 3: The Atrium with several staff on board and 25 students a day. Working so large a system took shape as things progressed. The artist found it more productive to divide students into 3 groups... some worked on Seed drawings & art processes with teachers whilst she supervised the step by step painting process. Energy of students remained surprisingly high each day... a new group arriving each morning excited and ready to work.
WEEK 4: Back to the Studio with the final stage of the painting to be completed... finessing all work done to date & adding abstracted seed motifs as the final layer of this multi-layered painting. Students from different years volunteered some time and many were involved where possible. Late nights over the weeks had helped and the final friday the work was shown in the Atrium and farewells said. A final pack-up on the Sunday ended in a very late night of putting the finishing touches on the work.
Reflecting on the residency it was an interesting to see how the experience of painting in the Atrium for a week had been shared with the whole school community... all were able to see the work in development. Interactions with students were exceptionally positive, certainly with all the art students, and not just Year 7, and it was clear an appreciation of the Art, Science and Cultural aspects of this Seed Diversity project had been a stimulus or point of curiosity.
Huge thanks to all at Kellett for a remarkable and highly memorable experience.
The Residency program established with Head Art Teacher Sue Perks it was decided would concentrate on working with Year 7 who would participate in the creation of a large artwork on linen ... 16 m x 1m ... to be hung permanently in the School Atrium.
WEEK 1: orientation week setting up the studio, establishing plans for each stage of the project, preparing the Linen & working through the design.
WEEK 2: two main tasks - prep for Week 3 which involved working in the Atrium with 125 students painting a 16 metre long panel work on Linen & conducting lessons with students introducing them to the Homage to the Seed project & a range of art processes exploring Seed Diversity. Several staff ... Sue Perks, Art teacher Magi Chen + Art technician Evans were hands-on making sure all was ready for Monday Morning in the Atrium.
WEEK 3: The Atrium with several staff on board and 25 students a day. Working so large a system took shape as things progressed. The artist found it more productive to divide students into 3 groups... some worked on Seed drawings & art processes with teachers whilst she supervised the step by step painting process. Energy of students remained surprisingly high each day... a new group arriving each morning excited and ready to work.
WEEK 4: Back to the Studio with the final stage of the painting to be completed... finessing all work done to date & adding abstracted seed motifs as the final layer of this multi-layered painting. Students from different years volunteered some time and many were involved where possible. Late nights over the weeks had helped and the final friday the work was shown in the Atrium and farewells said. A final pack-up on the Sunday ended in a very late night of putting the finishing touches on the work.
Reflecting on the residency it was an interesting to see how the experience of painting in the Atrium for a week had been shared with the whole school community... all were able to see the work in development. Interactions with students were exceptionally positive, certainly with all the art students, and not just Year 7, and it was clear an appreciation of the Art, Science and Cultural aspects of this Seed Diversity project had been a stimulus or point of curiosity.
Huge thanks to all at Kellett for a remarkable and highly memorable experience.
PAINTING IN 2017:
2017 was a year where teaching commitments focused on exploring Seed Diversity took the artist away from the studio & kept her busy planning & organising programs.
'Seeds through an artist's lens' workshops were conducted in Sydney, on the Sunshine Coast and in several local Brisbane Schools.Teaching was also a major part of the two residencies undertaken in Hong Kong Schools in 2017 during the 11 weeks spent in the region. A Saturday workshop for Hong Kong Art teachers was held on the May residency and a Saturday workshop was conducted in December at an Arts Centre in Wanchai for a large group.
In July a project with the Crop Trust became the focus of studio time when not working on several large artworks ... two of which are shown below... that were sent to a show in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
'Seed Diversity Cloth' 100 x 140 cm, Acrylic & Ink on stitched linen showing at MOBILIA GALLERY, Huron Ave, Cambridge, Massachusets US
*Now available as a Limited Edition Print
Below: close up of the Seed Diversity Cloth:
This linen featured an unusual grid weave which is the reason the stitching follows the grids ... every second square was an open textured weave and alternative squares were fine & non-texured making a more textured surface on which to paint... and leaving this work raw & somewhat aged in appearance.
'Daintree River Seed Cloth'
Shown below nearing completion before sending to the US. 50 cm x 120 cm, stitched linen, acrylic & pigmented inks.
'Daintree River seed cloth' references the exceptionally long Matchbox seedpods sent from Far North Queensland in June by David White who runs 'Daintree River Wildlife & Crocodile Cruises’ - Solar Whisper near the World Heritage Daintree National Park. NB: Botanical Name: Entada phaseoloides
The artist was sent several of these stunning pods along with a collection of seedpods from rainforest species in the Wet Tropics. They were mostly found in the river by David. He scooped the pods from the river, dried them out over a month or two before shipping them to SEEDARTLAB … this work is in part a tribute to that wonderful surprise as well as the extraordinary biodiversity of the tropical north of this continent.
MAY 2017 ARTIST RESIDENCY AT ISF ACADEMY, POKFULUM, HONG KONG ISLAND
Based at the at the The ISF Academy, or International Schools Foundation Academy in Pokfulum a highly stimulating 4 week residency was carried out working alongside Middle School Art Staff Julie Emery & Jeremy Sawyer, researching into Hong Kong flora & seeds for knowledge & insights the artist could channel into an innovative Art program focusing on the role of seeds in the natural world and across our lives, past present & future. A multi-faceted approach gave space to Science, Culture, History as well as Art... with DIVERSITY as the KEY.
Despite the relatively brief time these students were timetabled to spend in the Art Room each week their application & interest was enlightening. Engaged, responsive and generally very motivated ... their accomplishments, guided by talented hardworking art staff, were considerable so it was a joy to explore the world of seeds in this setting.
An unexpected boon was the involvement of a number of family members in contributing to certain tasks. As students became interested in collecting seeds & finding out at home about family cultural history in regard to seeds, gardens, farming etc .. seed samples started being brought in from home, generating a wave of response in the form of answers to a simple questionnaire sent out or seed collecting. This added a great deal to the adventure of discovering the Seeds of Hong Kong ... a challenge for the artist being in a new region of the world with no prior knowledge let alone anyone else.
The Hong Kong Herbarium contributed to this project following a one-day visit by the artist by posting out seeds for students to research & draw. Students produced a series of excellent ink drawings of seed varieties then went on to paint on paper, learning different ways to apply paint in a somewhat dappled, layered manner, and later drawing abstracted seed forms onto the coloured grounds in white or black ink.
One this slideshow you can see the range of media, art processes, seed material, ideas and experiences that made up the residency program. Lessons were 50 minutes a week for numerous Grade 4 classes ... and some very keen grade 3 classes were included in the later part of the program they were so keen. Students performed incredibly well being introduced over a few short weeks to a rather large concept ... seed diversity, why it matters, why science has such a key role and ways we can all be aware and contribute to biodiversity and conservation efforts.
In a recent ISF Academy Exhibition some examples of the finished colourful artworks can be seen in the slideshow. Students produced wonderful drawings throughout the residency and its not hard to imagine what more class time for art would bring forth.
Deepest thanks to the staff and everyone at ISF for the unique hospitality and utterly brilliant experience!
BELOW: Slideshow of images taken in Hong Kong during the ISF Residency in May
ADDITIONAL IMAGES FROM HONG KONG MAY BE VIEWED HERE:
SeedArtLab Workshop Program for 2017!
Workshops were held during the first quarter of the year in Brisbane, Sydney and Sunshine Coast. With two residencies and a busy painting schedule the next workshop won't be held till January, 2018. Posts on FB and Instagram always follow these events on the yearly calendar and you can inquire here through the Contact page for information re what is in planning at this time.
Below: Flyer for the workshop on APRIL 1 + 2 at the wonderful Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, an hour from Brisbane, was the location of the second SEEDS THROUGH AN ARTIST'S LENS workshop, held in the onsite Arts & Ecology Centre.
Below: Flyer for the workshop on APRIL 1 + 2 at the wonderful Maroochy Bushland Botanic Gardens, an hour from Brisbane, was the location of the second SEEDS THROUGH AN ARTIST'S LENS workshop, held in the onsite Arts & Ecology Centre.
AUTUMN IN BRISBANE:
In Brisbane from March 15 - April 15 a display on the Homage to the Seed Project was set up at the just-opened CHERMSIDE LIBRARY, corner of Hamilton Rd & KittyHawk Rd. This told the story of the Homage to the Seed project launched during the 2010 artist-in-residency at Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Below: Images from that Library display.
HOMAGE TO THE SEED PROJECT UNDERTAKINGS FOR 2017
Projects & planning in 2017 have been widely varied, prompting considerable avenues of research & provide a unique opportunity for the Homage to the Seed project to continue the work of highlighting regional biodiversity ... in Australia, Hong Kong and also globally in a project collaborating with the Global Crop Diversity Trust or CROP TRUST based in Bonn, Germany. The research for this artwork commission has involved connecting with Staff at the Crop Trust & others like a Columbian Genebank scientist specialising in Bean Diversity. More will be posted on this project in the New Year.
Above: Crop and Seed Diversity Journal
FEBRUARY, SYDNEY
In February a well attended 'Seeds through an Artist's Lens' Workshop was held at The HappenStore, an exciting new Artist's Makers space in Annandale, inner Sydney on Parramatta Rd. A unique feature of this one day event was the Edible Seed menu ... designed and presented by Varina Krook & Kade Cohen, a talented team from Bligh St Bistro.
An excellent blog post: The Edible Seed w Sophie Munns describes this highly memorable experience from Varina's viewpoint. Below: Photos from the post.
In February a well attended 'Seeds through an Artist's Lens' Workshop was held at The HappenStore, an exciting new Artist's Makers space in Annandale, inner Sydney on Parramatta Rd. A unique feature of this one day event was the Edible Seed menu ... designed and presented by Varina Krook & Kade Cohen, a talented team from Bligh St Bistro.
An excellent blog post: The Edible Seed w Sophie Munns describes this highly memorable experience from Varina's viewpoint. Below: Photos from the post.
Below you will find Images from 2016 Exhibitions and immediately below here a link to the artist's ONLINE STORE which is by necessity closed during Residency periods & time spent away from the Brisbane Studio. For any information about the Artwork, Workshops or Homage to the Seed Project undertakings please contact the artist directly through her email or follow online where you learn more about the ongoing project in action.
Thankyou, Sophie Munns
SOPHIE MUNNS WORKSHOPS
ONLINE STORE SEEDARTLAB
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
ONLINE STORE SEEDARTLAB
LIMITED EDITION ART PRINTS
2016
ART EXHIBITIONS 2016:
RECENT:
MOBILIA GALLERY, Huron Ave, Cambridge, Massachusets US
SOPHIE MUNNS: CONCERTINA – THE SEED JOURNALS
November 8, 2016 – December 15, 2016
HOLDING :
NEWCASTLE ART GALLERY, NSW
Contemporary Fibre Art, on display from 26 Nov 2016 - 5 Feb 2017
Curated by Anne Kempson of Timeless Textiles showcasing 25 local, national and international fibre artists, the exhibition explores, through textile mediums, the idea of containment and ownership.
APRIL 2016:
THE LOST ONES GALLERY, Ballarat, Victoria presented 'SEEDARTLAB: Seeds Through an Artist's Lens' following the PlantBank, Sydney showing.
MARCH 2016:
PLANTBANK, AUSTRALIAN BOTANIC GARDEN, MT ANNAN, SYDNEY
Please Note: Read the August E-news Bulletin for further 2016 news by clicking below or subscribe there for future (occasional) bulletins.
E-NEWSLETTER: Published WEDNESDAY AUGUST 3RD - READ HERE!
Contains news for the coming months & an overview of the year to date covering
the January PlantBank residency, March PlantBank Exhibition, Ballarat Exhibition,
Workshops held in three states, + travels & visits to some key organisations.
WORKSHOPS: Seeds Through An Artist's Lens workshops are offered at regular intervals.
Text : 0430 599 344 to connect with the artist or EMAIL directly.
ONLINE SHOP: NB: Currently being updated ready for the start of December
A r t w o r k s f r o m S e e d A r t L a b i n 2 0 1 6 :
S c e n e s f r o m t h e W o r k s h o p s :
s e e d s t h r o u g h a n a r t i s t ' s l e n s w o r k s h o p s : s o p h i e m u n n s