2019 - 2020

International Art Space - Spaced 4: Rural Utopias

What began as a conversation with a farmer became a residency, then a series of interviews, then videos projected onto sheds and farm buildings, on a sheep-grazing property in Wellstead, a small town an hour east of Albany, Western Australia. Through dialogue across months, different perspectives came to light about grain prices, preserving bushland, the water table, colonial history, and what the ecology (both environmental and social) of life in this place looks like in a changing climate. At the end of this residency working alongside, observing, and listening to locals, the artist presented a series of video projections, inside of farm buildings and onto the sides of sheds and silos at Windi Windi Pastoral Co. on 22 February 2020. The project highlighted the stories of the town, and the diverse relationships that people have with the landscape, in an event open to the whole community. The night was capped off by thunderous rain, to the delight of all the farmers present.

This project was made possible by the generous support of Richard Davy of Windi Windi Pastoral Co, the Wellstead Community Resource Centre, and International Art Space, as part of Spaced 4: “Rural Utopias”

You can read the artist’s journal on blog here.

2018-2019

Residency at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus ArtsHouse

As the culmination of a six-month research residency at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus ArtsHouse, the artist worked with students from Years 11 and 12, to create projects exploring and expanding on the concept of harmony. Seven groups participated in a series of three 90-minute workshops, from the varied learning areas of Photography, General Art, Community Service, Health, Educational Support, and Drama. The first workshop with each group began with a listening exercise, a moment of mindfulness to open a space for inward contemplation. From the first workshop, each group wrote a manifesto, a unique and powerful expression of what harmony meant to them. In the second workshop, the students were facilitated in planning a project communicating their vision of harmony. In the third workshop the students carried out their vision, and were guided in rehearsal, production, or testing. The results were as diverse as the subject areas involved, including: a decorate-your-own cupcake and cookie stall; the performance of an original choreographed dance work; installations wrapping and decorating the trees in a riot of colour; hand painted and photo collaged miniature houses, hanging from the same trees; more cupcakes; a photo-collage mural; frozen fruit cups — “to help people chill out,” and manifold other expressions and decorations spreading harmony throughout the school. The projects were presented to the rest of the school on Harmony Day in March 2019.

This residency realised with the generous support of Artsource, the Copyright Agency, and Cyril Jackson Senior Campus. This project was only possible because of the participation and dedication of the students, teachers, and community at CJSC.

Founded in 2018 by Daisy Sanders, Alex Desebrock and Elizabeth Pedler, FLOCK is a new model for community support and and an artist-run initiative built to strengthen the Perth art sector via monthly events and other programs. Hosted by a different arts organisation each month, FLOCK generates professional development, networking and rigorous, facilitated conversation for independent artists. FLOCK is proudly multidisciplinary, accessible and welcomes a spectrum of emerging to established artists. FLOCK pays artists award rates for development and presentation of skills-based workshops, for an audience of artists, highlighting practice and advocating for artists in the sector.

Undergoing evolution and operating in a shifting funding ecology, FLOCK offers a resilient and sustainable model of peer support and networking that recognises and celebrates the enormous value of independent artists.

2016 - 2018

Eat the City is a collaboration between Janet Carter and Elizabeth Pedler, which began with a question: how would we survive if urban food supply chains broke down tomorrow? To search for answers and possible survival strategies, we found research collaborators: experts in foraging and weeds, indigenous food and agriculture, and homelessness and urban survival. With these collaborators, we learned about how food is more than a matter of survival; food acts as a vector for culture and knowledge, and food sharing is tied to storytelling and community.
The project has grown from a research residency, to curating participatory walks led by our research collaborators, to workshops preparing weeds and native foods, long-table discussions centred around food, and community workshops and events. Food is not only the core concept of the project, but also how we continue to bring audiences together, and share the knowledge and stories we have been building.

We have presented Eat the City events for International Art Space, Disrupted Festival of Ideas, Social Impact Festival, Sustainable Living Festival, and Food for Thought Festival.

Images 1-7 Eat the City walks at Disrupted Festival of Ideas 2017. Photos by Jacqueline Jane.

Images 8-10 Eat the City workshop at Social Impact Festival 2017. Photos by Bernard Marcelo.

Images 11-13 Eat the City workshop at Sustainable Living Festival Albany 2018. Photos by Bob Symons.

2016

Residency at Maylands Peninsula Primary School

Working with Specialist Art Teacher Jessica Wormuth, the artist presented a term-long program focused on touch to Year 6 Students at Maylands Peninsula Primary School. The students explored taste and smell in both the art room and in their classroom, with cross-curriculum teaching on the science and psychology of olfactory sensation,  synaesthesia, as well as cultural aspects of food. Exploring their sense of smell and taste, the students produced herbal infusions, prepared food in class, created paintings focused on taste and smell, and planted take-home herbal gardens.

Led by the artist and art teacher, the students designed a sensory garden for the school, produced by parent volunteers and planted by the students.

Images by Elizabeth Pedler and Jessica Wormuth, courtesy Maylands Peninsula Primary School.

2016

Residency at Maylands Peninsula Primary School

Working with Specialist Art Teacher Jessica Wormuth, the artist presented a term-long program focused on touch to Year 5 Students at Maylands Peninsula Primary School. The students explored touch in both the art room and in their classroom, with cross-curriculum teaching on the science and psychology of tactile sensation,  synaesthesia, braille, and communication through the sense of touch. Exploring their sense of touch and feeling, the students created rubbings of textured objects and Frankenstein toys with multiple textures.

Led by the artist and art teacher, the students designed a tactile mural for the school made of tesselating clay tiles, produced by students from years 4 and 5.

Images by Elizabeth Pedler and Jessica Wormuth, courtesy Maylands Peninsula Primary School.

2015

Moana Project Space

View the catalogue here.

Friends and colleagues were invited to exchange identities with the artist for a period of two hours each. The exchanges are documented in the form of photographs, surveillance video, and the work made by the participants. Participants remained in the studio, performing the identity of the artist, whilst Elizabeth left and took on the identities and activities of the participant.

This project was realised with the generous support of the the Government of Western Australia, Department of Culture and the Arts.

2017

John Curtin Gallery

2016

free range gallery, Fringeworld Festival

2015

Sawtooth Artist Run Initiative

Long after lust and infatuation have faded, one thing still remains in any relationship: fighting. Speedfighting turns on its head the usual get-to-know-you dating ritual; by asking the participants to try out not how well they get on with the other person, but how well they can argue with them. Ten people will be mixed and matched, and asked to have an argument over such questions as “Is it ever acceptable to lie?” and “What is cheating?” Speedfighting also teaches participants how to handle confrontation in a controlled setting, with benefits for their personal and professional relationships.

This project was realised with the generous support of the the Government of Western Australia, Department of Culture and the Arts, free range gallery, Sawtooth ARI, and the Launceston City Council.

2015

Kingsbridge Cottage Artist-in-Residence, Cataract Gorge Launceston

Pieces of (acrylic) mirror, cut to elliptical shape, were placed in the environment at Cataract Gorge. The ellipse reflects a circle, due to the angle of the camera, giving the viewer a glimpse of cloudy sky. The series is documented by photograph, printed onto face-mounted acrylic.

This project was realised with the generous support of the the Government of Western Australia, Department of Culture and the Arts, and the Launceston City Council.

2014
Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

While in residence at Central Greenough, guests from the Geraldton community were invited to share a meal prepared by the artist. Each table was set with a paper tablecloth, and markers provided. In total, 24 meals were served to guests over 28 nights.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

Catching the Sky was constructed for the Road Board at Central Greenough. Existing in the building were hooks for curtain rails near the ceiling, which created the potential to string fishing line, and hang something in the space. Unlike most other buildings in Central Greenough, the Road Board has exceptional light entering through the windows. It was important to make something that occupied the space, and made use of the height, without filling it or becoming obstructive to visitors. Broken glass found in the field next to the building was cleaned, and then suspended from the ceiling to create a canopy of glittering coloured shards.  It echoes St Catherine’s Church, adjacent to the Road Board; a place of stillness and sanctuary.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

The flag was designed with reference to the naval fag communication system. In this code, blue over red communicates "echo" or "altering course to starboard". Yellow was added to add proportion to the flag, and the harmony of primary colours. The flag was flown for 24 hours at the conclusion of the residency.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

This work was created in the gaol cells at Central Greenough. The mirror was not able to reflect the light coming through the window, but it did generate interesting reflections from the wall, reminiscent of the surface of the moon, or a planet. It also alluded to idea of personal reflection, something the inmates would have done a lot of while waiting to be sentenced.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

Nest was created for Hackett's Cottage, in Central Greenough. The birds appeared to be taking over parts of the building, and their calls were an ever-present part of the audio environment. The idea of them taking up residence an abandoned house, or even birds surviving the extinction of humans, was amusing enough to suggest making something as a tribute to them in the cottage.
The artwork began with branches, grass and leaves from the field behind Hackett’s, and over the following days and weeks, it was added to bit by bit. It is reminiscent of a bower, with collected fragments of pottery, glass, mirrors, berries and torn cloth.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014
Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

The installation was created using branches and flora from Central Greenough, in proximity to Hackett's Cottage. Glass and pottery was found on site, and at Cliff Grange, a homestead nearby.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014
Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

Cellophane was attached to the windows in Hackett's Cottage, alluding to the stained glass windows in St Catherine's Chrurch and St Peter's Chapel, also in Central Greenough. The colours were chosen were based on the primaries of light and of pigment.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014
Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

The most elaborate and complex cellophane design was created for the entry room of Hackett's Cottage. In front of this wndow was placed a large kaleidoscope, reflecting the design into an intricate and colourful array.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014
Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

This work was created for Hackett's Cottage, in Central Greenough. The Cottage Camera Obscura was constructed using recycled cardboard packaging, tracing paper, wire, tape and cotton. Pinholes cut in the cardboard allow light from the window to project onto the tracing paper screens, on which an inverted image appears. The design mimics the structure of the eye and of film cameras. The image is a live projection of the scene facing the window - the Teachers Quarters where the artist is housed.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

Listen to the artwork here.

This recording was made on 17 October 2014, by reading a text inside one of gaol cells at Central Greenough, Western Australia. The text is read out loud inside the cell and recorded, then played back. During playback, it is recorded again. This process was repeated five times, resulting in six loops of the recording, capturing the echoes of the cell and its resonant frequencies.

This is the technique used by the sound artist and composer Alvin Lucier, in his work "I am sitting in a room" from 1969.

The gaol and many of the buildings at Greenough were built using convict labour, on land taken from the Aboriginal population, in 1858. Central Greenough has been abandoned and stands as a ghost town, an attraction for tourists. The text read out is an excerpt from a letter written to The Inquirer newspaper, in 1849, the year after the Greenough region was surveyed prior to settlement.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Residency at Central Greenough Western Australia, 22 September 2014 - 20 October 2014.

With the anachronistic presence of the alpacas and the llama at Central Greenough, it was important to do something that mentioned or paid homage to them during the residency. They are a notable feature of the settlement, and a major attraction for younger visitors. Photographs were taken of the animals sunning themselves in the gaol courtyard, framed, and placed among the pictures in Goodwin's Cottage.

Thanks to the City of Greater Geraldton and the National Trust for their support of the Central Greenough artist residency, and their assistance in completion of the artwork.

2014

Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre

Listen to the artwork here.

Members of the Liverpool community were invited to walk through Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre, and have a conversation about the artworks on display as part of the exhibition Subject to Ruin. These conversations were recorded in audio format, which the artist then edited to create an audio-tour of the exhibition, with commentary of the artworks by local residents.

Most of volunteers involved had never been to Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre prior to the making of this artwork. The only requirements were that participants are at least 18 years old, and live, study or work in the Liverpool area.

In four groups across three days from 26 – 28 May 2014, each group met in the foyer, and spent approximately one hour walking through the galleries. Groups varied in number between 5 and 17, and a total of 48 people engaged in the making of this work.

Elizabeth Pedler would like to thank the following members of the Liverpool community for taking part in this project, as well as those who assisted with the recruitment of volunteers, and documentation:

Wisam I. Shadood, Mario Rizkalla Panous, C.C., Zayc Amanoeal, Gulcihan Sahin, Sargou Isaac, Veakny Touch, Nawar, Muneer, Hassan Charaf, Natalia Timofeeva, Sergio Torres, Hannana, Li Yuanyi, Ghareeb Shuaa, Safaa Alsaadi, Jay G Hermita, John James G. Hermita, Paul Southwel, Masoud, Tu Binh Chau (Bianca), Sean Ly, Rami Satto, Dani Sitto, Anonymous, Gloria and Irina from Navitas Liverpool, Guido Gonzalez from Curious Works, Khaled Sabsabi, Adam Porter, Arian Bozorg.

To listen to the audio-guides, or for more information, follow the link:

subjecttoreview.wordpress.com

In the collection of Casula Powerhouse Arts Centre.

2013

Mailbox 141

togoforawalk.wordpress.com 

The walking begins at Mailbox 141, located at 141 Flinders Lane, Melbourne.

Placed in the mailboxes are QR codes, which with a smart-phone and a QR-reader app, will lead to an audio file to stream or download. Each audio file takes the viewer on a narrated tour, beginning at Mailbox 141, ranging from a few minutes to half an hour, which will takes them to unexpected sights around the city.The walks all begin at Mailbox 141, and end at various locations within a 1km radius.

Some of the walks invite the audience to interact with their surroundings, some ask for them to observe, or to find something, or simply to open their eyes and ears.

For more information please refer to the Walking Project blog.

2013

Moana Project Space

View the catalogue and survey results here.

A week-long inquiry was administered to the public within the busy thoroughfare of the Hay Street Mall. In questionnaire form, participants were asked about their views on contemporary art, and their opinions of different art forms; an attempt to understand what it is the people of Perth think about, or want from, contemporary art. The research based residency culminated in an installation at Moana Project Space and a publication that were both directly informed by the statistical data collated in the preceding weeks.

2013

Jewish Museum of Australia

Using a projector as a guide, squares of colour have been painted onto the wall, visible only from oblique angles.

Produced for the Jewish Museum of Australia, the installation creates multiple points of focus, offering up alternative angles. The work encourages the viewer to move around and recognise their physical relationship with the work in order to understand it.

The painted forms engage with visual perception, toying with the connection between the eye and the mind. Using perspective, distortion and reflection, the work subtly suggests the unreliability of the eye, and the concept of visual perception as a form of play, in and of itself.

2013

Top Shelf Gallery

http://thecommunicationprojectblog.wordpress.com/

The Communication Project is an experiment crossing the borders of art, performance, collaboration and research. The project operates through a workshop format. During the workshops, up to nine unvetted volunteers work with the artist to decide upon a message in response to the theme "a message to the world today", and then to create an artwork which communicates their message. The project is constantly evolving in response to the successes (and failures) of the workshops.

For the month of August 2013 the Communication Project was in action at Top Shelf Gallery, Melbourne. Workshops were open to the public, at no cost, with seven workshops available each week over Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each workshop lasted for one hour, with refreshments offered at the end. For the outcome please refer to the blog.

For the exhibition at Light & Wire, workshops were conducted on Skype, as one-on-one conversations between the artist and a participant. The resulting messages were exhibited online at Light & Wire, 28 May - 19 June 2013.

An archive of the online exhibition is available at Light & Wire Gallery.

2013

Gertrude Street Projection Festival Hub

Hand-cut pieces of paper (and the occasional piece of mirror) threaded into cotton are suspended from a false ceiling. A fluttering mass of triangles hangs just above eye-level, a floating cloud of sharp corners.

Three coloured spotlights illuminate the triangles from different angles. As the paper pieces turn in the breeze, the facets light up in various blends of red green and blue.

2014

TarraWarra Museum of Art

2013

TCB Art Inc.

The room has been sealed off with clear plastic and a wooden false wall, quarantining the installation, but still open to viewers. Inside are five fans and approximately 3500 litres of styrofoam beans. The fans generate a snow-dome effect; a blizzard of white beans.

Shown as part of Smokescreen, a joint exhibition with Jeremy Eaton at TCB Art Inc.

2012

Blindside Artist Run Space

Two kaleidoscopes, one large and one small, both focussing on the crowd of traffic and commuters bound by Federation Square and Flinders Street Station. 

A mobile composed of square pieces of mirror, reflecting the viewer, the room and the outside world, in ever-changing variations.

A large round mirror, reflecting a sign painted on the floor. 

Five small mirrors, positioned around the room; creating a tunnel of reflections from one mirror to the next and the next. 

Seeing around corners, seeing oneself unexpectedly reflected back, voyeuristically watching people pass unawares; the viewer becomes absorbed by in reflections of their own visual perception and different ways of looking.

2012

Kings Artist Run Initiative

Piano wire is strung diagonally between the walls, creating an obstacle for viewers to walk through, which also responds to touch. Contact microphones placed on the walls connect to an amplifier. When plucked or brushed, the strings respond like an electric guitar.

2011

Harvest Music festival, Werribee Park

Pieces of acrylic mirror, each with an LED light attached, balance precariously in a five metre wide mobile. The mirrors dip and sway, revealing brightly coloured backs. As the dark encroaches, the lights sparkle and flicker, like a swarm of dancing fireflies.

2011

Harvest Music festival, Werribee Park

Two wooden boxes, each perched high upon a pine frame. The open ends reveal a mirrored interior, creating a blossom of reflections. The clouds, trees and the landscape fold in upon each other, enveloping the viewer in endless images of earth and sky.

2010

Cullity Gallery University of Western Australia

The walls are saturated by waves of intense colour, constantly flickering and alternating. On close inspection, the colour comes from slide projectors modified with small pinwheels. The pinwheels spin, sometimes lazily and sometimes swiftly, driven by fans placed around the room. Clear plastic pipes suspended overhead contain microphones. Putting on headphones, one hears the resonance in the pipes, a cathedral-like music created by vibrations of air.

2010

Free Range Gallery

A set-up of mirrors, fans, lights and coloured perspex conspire to produce shifting projections upon the walls. Viewers are encouraged to take up pedals and handles, altering the light and colour in the space. Microphones hide in pipes, monitoring the resonance created by fans, and the occasional passing chatter. The low humming sounds from the pipes are routed to headphones.

Shown as part of Exchange/Play, a joint exhibition with Markela Panegyres.

2010

Cullity Gallery University of Western Australia

A hollow wooden platform creates a stage for viewers to express their musical talents. Wires under tension, attached to the ceiling and the platform, resonate when touched. The vibrations in the wires are communicated through the wood to contact microphones, which output to an amplifier. The amplifier thus produces sounds from both the wires and the platform, open for interaction with viewers. The platform is 2.4 metres long, and 2.4 metres wide; the wires are 2.4 metres tall.

2010

Perth Institute of Contemporary Art

2009

Cullity Gallery University of Western Australia

A six metre wide mobile hangs from the centre of the ceiling in a darkened room. Delicately balanced, thirty-two individual bulbs and batteries are suspended from the branches of the mobile. As the lights waltz around each other, the mobile undergoes constant variations of dimensions and shape. From the corners of the room speakers produce the sounds of wineglasses humming; three tracks phasing in and out of sync.

Time stands still for a clear and delicate moment.