Sandra Selig
Sandra Selig lives in Brisbane and her exhibition in 'the gallery' was her first show in Europe. In Australia Selig's series of installations made from sewing thread and nails has attracted much interest locally and interstate. Her exhibition in Guernsey ran from 19th March to the 1st April 2004
Surface Tension
Sewing thread, nails, 13m span, Melbourne 2001
Span (corner view)
Thread, nails, Brisbane City Gallery 2003
Surface Tension
Sewing thread, nails, 13m span, Melbourne 2001
Sandra Selig thoughts on her month long residency in Guernsey :
The focus of my one month residency in February/March 2004 will be to develop a new body of work based on my previous series of installations made with sewing thread. In response to Joanna Littlejohns' observations on my installation titled Span which she visited while in Brisbane in 2003, I will be developing a thread work specifically for 'the gallery'. I will also be working on related aspects of my practice including sound. My intention is to respond directly to the architectural, atmospheric and geographic intensities that are present to me during my stay in Guernsey
My practice involves a response to materials as well as places, so I will also be working with found materials while on the island. This is consistent with my previous work, as my approach to art making is that the physical properties of materials (whether it suggests being folded, stretched, multiplied, pulled apart, cut, threaded, gathered, recorded) are loaded with potential and when exploited through simple manipulation, may result in new ways of experiencing the empirical world. I am particularly interested in using household or commonly used materials such as thread, paper, plastic, foam-core and wire which have in common a 'lightweight' reputation, both in euphemism and actual weight. I am drawn to the lightness and fragility of these materials as they possess potential for representing the more intangible aspects of our concrete environment such as architectural volumes, the atmosphere, airspace, light/shadow, sound and time. I hope that the resulting artwork invites the viewer to experience a play on what they see and what they may feel, sense or know beyond visibility. It is for this reason that the work is often minimal, or plays with opticality in such a way as to encourage the consideration of seeing as a bodily, emotional and imaginative act
I am also looking forward to engaging with the students at the College through workshops and an open studio. I hope that my presence in Guernsey will be as rewarding for the students and local community, as it will be for myself and my art practice
Sandra Selig
31st March 2003