From Andrew Frost…
In a somewhat circular series of events, Sian McIntyre‘s latest exhibition at Firstdraft takes its title from a review by Isobel Parker Philip first published on The Art Life blog back in 2012. McIntyre presented an ambitious installation work based on her Masters of Fine Art research at Kudos Gallery that included circular video projections and real grass laid out on the gallery floor. Conflating nostalgic recreations of songs of first settlement with a pointed reference to the terraforming process of imported European grasses into Australia, McIntyre had found an odd but compellingly original take on the post colonial condition.
Now three years later, Circular Settlements represents the output of three years of research in Australia and Scotland. The exhibition at Firstfdraft, an installation incorporating sound, turf, video and print, “…reflects on dislocation and loss. In each medium a range of actions typically associated with the claiming of cultures or sites is repeated. These actions are attempts to access a connection to place by referencing colonial land clearing, cultural appropriation and performance. The result is a collection of surreal and at times humorous attempts to claim place and culture, creating an awkward space of displacement and vulnerability.”
Until February 28
Firstdraft, Woolloomooloo
Pic: Sian McIntyre, Installation view, featuring Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraigh (Farewell to Barra), 2-15. Turf circle with radius of 220cm, Sound recording, 10:24. Sound is a rendition of Gaelic folk song Soraidh Bhuam gu Barraigh composed by a bard from the island of Barra who immigrated to Australia named ‘The Article’. Recorded and edited by Jai Pyne. 2015.
