18 Feb - 8 Mar 2009

I'm a bird now

Kate Parker, Trine Deans & Chris Brown - The Loading Dock & Loading Zone

Exhibitions opened by Vanessa Culliford,Newcastle Campaigner for the Wilderness Society and Miranda Lawry, Senior Lecturer, School of Drama, Fine Art and Music, University of Newcaste on Thursday 19 February at 6.30 pm.

'I am a bird now' is a collaborative exhibition which developed through a mutual interest in exploring the beauty of the feminine and that of the bird. Through investigating the mythology of the half-woman, half-bird we have each used our preferred mediums to express through print, fibre, and photography that juncture which is both beauty and beast nightmarish and demure, and violent and vulnerable. Kate Parker

Sydney to Halifax

Erin Woodgate - The Long Room

The different bodies of work in 'Sydney to Halifax' were completed during my exchange to Nova Scotia, Canada as part of my fine art degree. I use photography, found objects, fibre art and jewellery to explore the variety of contrasts experienced and celebrate my time in Halifax. I will be flying again from Sydney to Halifax as soon as I can. This is my first solo exhibition. Erin Woodgate

The Grotesquerie

Luke Johnston - The Pit

'The Grostequerie' is an exhibition of works which explore notions of creator, abjection and the tenuous relationship beauty has with disgust. Luke Johnston

Unfamiliar Light

Amy Bonnici - The Locker Room

With this series I wanted to explore how light is important to how we experience the landscape. I have chosen landscapes which are familiar and well used during the day and then I have photographed them at night using only ambient light and long exposures. By doing this I wanted to show how these landscapes can become empty and unfamiliar, sometimes even creating a feeling of anxiety and fear. Amy Bonnici

Leaf Age

Kristen Favot - The Hoist

Over-consumption, consumerism, greed and human nature leads to destruction, extinction and a whole new way of living. 'Leaf Age' is a statement on the effects that humans have had on our environment. One day we will realise that trees have been replaced with skyscrapers, and that the lungs of the Earth, the rainforests, have been cleared to make way for more buildings and more fuel that will surely only further bruise our already battered planet. I am not a greenie, I am not a preacher, I am however a member of society who also occasionally over consumes and is occasionally oblivious to the implications my actions are having on the environment, I am concerned by what I see happening. What type of a world are we leaving for the future generations? Kristen Favot

Watt Space is funded by the UoN Services Limited and supported by the School of Drama, Fine Art and Music at the University of Newcastle.  All associated images and information copyright © the artists, Watt Space & the University of Newcastle, Australia. Building images © Roger Hanley