The world in a droplet
It looks like something other-worldly… perhaps a hitherto undiscovered iridescent oval planet shimmering in deep space. Or maybe a psychedelic heat map of swirling ocean currents.
The truth is perhaps just as surprising: it’s actually a tiny fat droplet.
Captured by Dr Paul Joyce and titled Beyond the Horizon of a Nano-World, the image above recently won first prize in the research category of the University of South Australia’s Images of Research & Teaching competition, which highlights the beauty that can be found when science and art converge.
Joyce, a research fellow in pharmaceutical sciences, says he was in awe of the universe when growing up, and could never comprehend its size and complexity.
“It felt like there was an endless void of unanswered questions. It was only when I began researching nanotechnology that I realised life is just as complex at the nanoscale as it is on the grand, universe scale.
“This image that I captured of a tiny fat droplet perfectly summarises that for me. As you look closer at the tiny detail, you gain an appreciation for the complex and dynamic interactions that occur between each molecule. It is its own little world. Much like the universe, I can’t comprehend its scale and complexity.”
At UniSA, Joyce says, researchers are using the tiny fat particles to deliver drugs to the body in a more effective and safe way.
The runner-up in the research category, third-year Bachelor of Contemporary Art student Kate Shierlaw, used hot glass embedded in author John E Pfeiffer’s The Emergence of Man to embody the power of the ideas and knowledge found in books.
All the finalist works in the 2023 Images of Research & Teaching competition can be viewed here online, with voting currently open for the people’s choice winner.
Knowledge Sprouts, by Kate Shierlaw.
Samstag Scholarships
Visual artists have until the end of this month to apply for a sought-after scholarship that Samstag Museum of Art director Erica Green describes as “a life-changing opportunity and a golden ticket to the international arts stage”.
The Samstag Scholarships program, established in 1991, enables recipients to develop their practice through a year-long placement at an overseas art school of their choice.
Previous scholars include local installation artist and Adelaide Central School of Art lecturer Sasha Grbich, who studied at the Maumaus School of Visual Arts in Lisbon, Portugal, in 2019. Last year Grbich won the David Harold Tribe Sculpture Award (presented by Sydney College of the Arts) and showed her work in the Neoteric exhibition presented at Adelaide Railway Station as part of the 2022 Adelaide Festival.
“I wanted to know more about international urgencies in art and culture, and find a focus for further work… I always intended to bring my experience back to the work I do with the creative communities I contribute to,” she says of the scholarship.
Sasha Grbich listening to some of her soundscapes that were exhibited at MOD. in 2018.
A total of 148 Samstag Scholarship have been awarded to date, with other former and current scholars include Angela Valamanesh, Nicholas Folland, Shaun Gladwell, Bridget Currie, James Newitt, Madison Bycroft, Elyas Alavi, Kate Power and Jane Skeer.
The scholarships cover fees and travel expenses, plus a $70,000 tax-free allowance. They were previously open to Australian visual arts students and recent graduates but this year opened up to all graduates, with applications for the 2024 program closing at midnight on June 30, 2023 (full details on the Samstag website).
Under the hammer
A caravan painted by local artist Sair Bean is among an eclectic collection of items for sale in an Adelaide Fringe online warehouse auction.
Up for auction: The Fringe caravan. Photo: Facebook
In a Facebook post, Fringe promises the sale (live from June 16-22, register here) will have something for everyone, “whether you are a treasure hunter, venue, events company or love Adelaide Fringe”.
A quick scan of the auction items proves this to be true. In addition to the vibrant caravan (apparently used for touring to regional SA), there are megaphones, coloured umbrellas, a pink piano stool, rigging equipment, feather and glitter headpieces, fairy lights, a Persian rug, old Fringe posters, desks, chairs, signs, pool noodles, brooms, costumes, a croquet set – and much more.
You Are Here. Unley, by Anastasia Benveniste.
All roads lead to Unley
Anastasia Benveniste has won the $5000 All Connections to Unley Art Prize with a finely drawn work representing an aerial map of the city.
Benveniste says her artwork, titled You Are Here. Unley, features 39,082 lines to represent every resident, with geometric lines referencing key roads. It was selected from 27 finalists, whose work is on show in the Hughes Gallery in Fullerton until June 30.
Entrants in the prize were asked to express their own connection with Unley, and organisers say the result was a fascinating range of “literal, lyrical and imaginative responses”.
Mill milestone
Adelaide multi-disciplinary arts organisation The Mill is this week celebrating its 10th anniversary – as well as a recent expansion that has added an extra 17 artist studios at its Angas Street location.
The Mill was established in 2013 by Amber Cronin and Erin Fowler and has gone on to support hundreds of emerging and established artists through a wide range of programs. Current CEO and artistic director Katrina Lazaroff took over in 2018, and the recent upstairs expansion was made possible when former tenant Patch Theatre moved to a new home in Kent Town.
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“While we are expanding on our home turf, we have dedicated the past two years to building relationships and gathering support for a visionary new cultural precinct and long-term home for The Mill,” says Lazaroff, who further outlines the organisation’s future plans in this interview with CityMag. “Our exciting vision continues to develop and will come to life in the next one to three years.”
The Mill’s current studio artists traverse a broad range of disciplines, from painting, photography, ceramics and sculpture, to live music, furniture-making and film. It also offers masterclasses, workshops, residencies and other programs, as well as an exhibition space, which is set to host an immersive projection-based exhibition, Make|Shift, during next month’s Illuminate Adelaide festival.
Meanwhile, The Mill is celebrating its 10th birthday with an event on Friday, June 16 (tickets here).
Paper plus
Paper sculptor Shazia Shehzad Bhanji – who was recently profiled on InReview – will be sharing some of the techniques involved in her practice at a workshop later this month.
The Pakistan-born artist describes paper as a “chameleon” material which she uses to create three-dimensional objects to sculpt stories about human emotions and relationships. Shazia incorporates cutting-edge technologies in her work, and has exhibited extensively in Australia and overseas.
Participants at her “geometrical 3D paper art class” at Brookside Cellars Community Art Centre in Tranmere on June 30 will get an introduction to paper art and techniques such as precision cutting and layering to make a sculpture (details here).
Shazia Shehzad Bhanji in her home studio in Adelaide. Photo: Jack Fenby / InReview
Green Room is a regular column for InReview, providing quick news for people interested, or involved, in South Australian arts and culture.
Get in touch by emailing us at editorial@solsticemedia.com.au
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