Visual Arts, Design & Technology 

Sophie Darton
NOMINATION FOR SHAPE SHOWCASE 2023
Seawall redesign   

“In 2016, Collaroy/ Narrabeen was ranked ‘Australia’s third most at risk area from coastal processes’… A seawall was put in place to prevent coastal erosion in Collaroy, however it led to the loss of a significantly large portion of the beach and met with significant local resident push back due to its harsh aesthetics”.

To respond to this issue in a more considered manner I have developed a wave tank system through which alternative coastal defence systems could be designed and tested, with a view to identifying less impactful alternatives, both in regards to erosion and visual impact on the local area.   

Jazhara Hood
NOMINATION FOR SHAPE SHOWCASE 2023
Fire resistant housing solution    

“The recent Australian 2019-2020 bushfires made international headlines with 3,100 homes destroyed and 18,000 people left without long-term housing solutions.”

My project endeavours to create a bushfire resistant residence for a property in the Blue Mountains. This solution had to meet the relevant Bushfire Attack Level (BAL) requirements and be a self-sustaining, environmentally friendly residence. My project looks at the utilisation of natural resources and other methods, such as material selection, to discourage fire from destroying residential premises and lives. 

Brooke Lancaster
Rowing syncronisation device    

“Rowers often train over 15 hours a week and crews are constantly working on different aspects of their stroke and synchronisation to improve their overall speed. This training is, however, compromised during the early hours of the morning as there’s no adequate light to allow coaches and athletes to see and assess with clarity, the timing of each individual’s catch”

The aim of my project was to design and construct a product which can be attached to a rowing boat’s rigger in order to improve each rower’s synchronisation and stroke efficiency. The device can be easily applied to the boat’s rigger in training, providing trackable data, both visual and audible, to develop stroke uniformity across the crew and therefore improving the individual and team’s overall performance. My design solution makes training more efficient and accurate through greater synchronisation across the boat.

Flora Munro
The Numbat Swag    

“Australia is losing biodiversity at an alarming rate having one of the highest mammalian extinction rates in the world. Bushfires are a major contributing factor to this devastation with events such as the 2020 bushfires destroying over 46 million acres of native habitat. This natural disaster killed over 3 billion animals nation-wide and those that survived were displaced and vulnerable to predation”. 

To counteract this national issue, I have designed an emergency micro shelter for wildlife, to be deployed after bushfires to preserve animal populations until bush regeneration can occur. The design is targeted at small ground dwelling marsupials, as statistics show these species are twice as vulnerable to predation when compared to tree dwelling animals following fires. My motivation behind this project was my passion for the environment and my desire to protect wildlife. In my design, my focus was on low unit cost, mass production, flat packability and rapid deployment features to align with the needs of the conservation groups leading the efforts to protect biodiversity in an increasingly challenging environment.

Georgina Owen
Indoor moss purifier    

“Air pollution takes away on average 1-2 years of city dwellers life, causing lung disease, severe asthma, shortness of breath, cardiovascular disease and many other detrimental health effects. In 2022 56.2% of the world’s population were found living in urban areas, and around 3 million people are moving to cities every week. Following my recent move from a rural town in England to Sydney I was concerned by the huge change in air quality”. 

“Air pollution takes away on average 1-2 years of city dwellers life, causing lung disease, severe asthma, shortness of breath, cardiovascular disease and many other detrimental health effects. In 2022 56.2% of the world’s population were found living in urban areas, and around 3 million people are moving to cities every week. Following my recent move from a rural town in England to Sydney I was concerned by the huge change in air quality.

Isabella Kinealy
NOMINATION FOR TEXSTYLE SHOWCASE 2023
4th in NSW for Textiles & Design

Femme Fatale    
Focus Area: Textile Arts

My garment is inspired by defining a motif of 1950s America: the femme fatale archetype, which encapsulates the focus of my Major Textiles Project. Therefore, fitting in to the focus area of Textile Arts, my highly decorative gown aims to emanate this archetype through screen printing, drapery and applique. The garment consists of a black strapless draped bodice; a black silk taffeta skirt adorned with screen printing and a detachable silk organza overskirt, attached at the waist with a red sash. I was also inspired by Andy Warhol’s Pop-Art, specifically the Marilyn Monroe print, because of its iconic place in the aesthetics of the femme fatale. However, I challenged this mid-century look by composing my screen prints in a newspaper-esque fashion, accustom to the likes of Jean-Paul Gaultier. Furthermore, elements like the sheer overskirt, display screen prints of handwriting that characterise the femme fatale. My garment was produced to be displayed at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London UK, for an exhibition exploring the femme fatale through a range of decorative and constructive techniques.

Grace Youlden
NOMINATION FOR TEXSTYLE SHOWCASE 2023

The Ice Age    
Focus Area: Textile Arts

My garment has been designed for display at the opening of an exhibition showcasing ‘The Ice Age’ at the Australian Museum held in December 2022, devoted to the global warming issues. My MTP incorporates a highly decorative corset featuring a wide range of surface decoration techniques such as hand beading and embroidery, heat press printing, dissolvable fabric and laser cutting. Additionally the garment includes pants that have been heat manipulated, a peplum skirt with layers of tulle and laser cut appliqued lettering and an ice dyed overskirt. The purpose of the wearable textile arts piece is to educate the audience about the severity of global warming to our life and future generations, reflecting our treatment of the planet. I have been influenced by Elie Saab’s Spring 2020 Couture collection and Guo Pei Spring/ Summer 2020 ‘Himalaya’ collection. Historical inspiration includes the Elizabethan era during the 1600’s, the Merry Widow corsets worn in the 1950’s, and Baroque styled architecture featured in the 17th century.

Sienna Arnold
Future of fasion    
Focus Area: Apparel

My two-piece ensemble is an innovative and creative approach in response to the detrimental and overlooked issue of ghost fishing amongst Australian waters specifically on The Great Barrier Reef. With around 36,000 sea creatures killed every year, ghost fishing occurs when old fishing equipment ends up in the ocean and entangles fish and other marine life. My apparel piece reflects issues surrounding waste and the damaging patterns of materialistic consumption, with aim of optimistically repurposing ocean-waste into a higher value product. The shirt and jodhpur style pants features cut out detail down the side seams to replicate the gills of marine animals. My MTP is designed for a runway event at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week showcasing Australia’s future of fashion. My MTP will then be auctioned off to raise money for ghost fishing clean up services for The Great Barrier Reef. Features include a heat-pressed statement on the belt, cuffs and back-band, webbing detail at the shirt open back, rope couching and creative buttons made from discarded ghost nets.

Claudia Watts
Rocky Horror Picture Show   
Focus Area: Costume

My Major Textiles Project (MTP) is a one-off garment designed for promorional purposes and consists of a 1970s inspired flared black leather blazer with accentuated collars, an 18th century-esque strapless corset, and a black silk mini skirt, with the motif of tartan prevalent within each item. My garment is designed for the premier of a remake of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in the UK, worn by the lead actor with inspiration from a combination of characters within the show. My MTP is classified within the Costume focus area due to an array of decorative techniques including sequins, applique, and laser cutting. My MTP pays homage to the original Rocky Horror Picture Show’s experimental costume design with a collection of influences from the same era and the punk movement of the 1970s. Fashion Designer Vivienne Westwood’s revolutionary designs and the innovative works of Mugler and Alexander McQueen have also contibuted to the inspiration of my costume.

Lucy Anderson
‘I am woman before everything else'
Focus Area: Apparel  

My Major Textiles Project is to be worn by a feminist UN speaker on International Women’s Day in March 2023. This event will recognise how Jackie Kennedy personal style challenged stereotypical gender roles on women’s fashion. My MTP is a symbol of her influence, specifically the adoption of power dressing in the 1980’s. I was also inspired by Chanel’s 1960’s tweed suit design where Chanel mixes traditional masculine and feminine styles. Furthermore, I utilised contemporary designer Alexander McQueen’s Spring/Summer 2022 collection observing a range of jacket styles. Thus, I have created a V-neck cream slip dress with ruffles and thin straps. The oversized jacket is made from pale pink polyester and tweed fabric with contrasting sheer white ruffles over the shoulders. The jacket includes a collar made from tweed fabric, pleating on the pockets, the phrase “I am a woman before everything else” appliqued on the jacket back, tweed covered buttons and hand made 3D flowers along the cuffs.

Scarlett Wheeler
100 Years of Women’s Fashion
Focus Area: Apparel  

My Major Textiles Project fabricates a two-piece suit, encompassed by a combination of innovative laser-cutting and intricate Art-Deco beading. My item is a one-off set purposed for the opening of a runway exhibition at the Louvre, celebrating ‘100 Years of Women’s Fashion’. In a surrealist appropriation of the 1920s Flapper Dress from the ‘Roaring 20s’ and the contemporary female suit, my MTP traces the developments in women’s fashion over a 100 year period. By doing so, my MTP also draws upon the 1980s Power Suit, traditional beadwork techniques pioneered by the Native Americans, societal advances regarding gender and fashion, and inspired by Christian Dior x John Galliano Fall 2007 Haute Couture Collection ; all of which contextualise my design. My MTP responds to the Apparel Focus Area in a considered balance of functionality and aesthetic value. The suit has been intricately laser cut to complement my dense Art-Deco beadwork and introduce elevational depth to my design. The lining of my set offers a visual depiction of the 100 year timeline (1920s-2020s), achieved via digital printing.

Eliza McMenemy
‘Let them eat cake'
Focus Area: Costume  

My Major Textiles Project is a modern costume inspired by a traditional Marie Antoinette dress. The design and fabric choices demonstrate the contrast between the peasants of France and the aristocracy represented by Marie Antoinette. The costume is to be worn at the Palace of Versailles during Paris Fashion Week in September 2023. My MTP features a fitted corset-style bodice with sheer sleeves and a square shaped neckline made from digitally printed fabric of the map of the Palace of Versailles gardens and contrasts with the Toile de Jouy linen floor-length overskirt skirt and short pink underskirt. Decorative features of my MTP include lasercut cuffs, piping, beading, machine embroidered and laser cut text appliqued on the lining of the overskirt. The design of my costume was inspired by contemporary designers Oscar de la Renta, Christian Dior, and Zuhair Murad Couture.

Lola Noble
NOMINATION FOR ARTEXPRESS 2023
‘Looks can be deceiving’
Painting 

My body of work aims to challenge the way in which we perceive, and judge family based on appearance. Inspired by Lucian Freud, I have explored the gaze as a means of indicating feelings of disconnection I have as someone who is frequently reminded of lacking family resemblance. The overall composition is designed to create a sense of familial cross-examination, through the visual tension between individual portraits. The tonal bands at the side of each portrait, composed of the palette used in each painting was inspired by Julian Meagher. In a sense, these DNA codes of paint echo the genomic sequence structure of each individual. Furthermore, the fundamental connective power of genetics is reiterated through the inclusion of laser etched acrylic plaques. The bottom layers depict DNA sequences in accordance with the stripes on each painting, whilst the top layer contains a statement from each family member, expressing their observations on family resemblance. Central to my work is the reflection of self and the statement from American poet E.E. Cummings; that resonates with my feelings of self-discovery, in relation to family.

Tegan French
Healing
Collection of Works

My Body of Work is inspired by my mother’s ongoing medical condition. The work references her medical reports and hospital gowns to convey her physical and emotional experiences. Rather than providing any sense of protection, these garments act as practical shrouds designed for quick and easy access to the body. The gowns act as a fragile skin which open to reveal the workings of the inner body imprinted within. I have photo released images, collaged and stitched a wide range of mediums onto paper to express the fragility of her state of being. The work centres on the idea of the private body versus the public, the internal body versus the external world and the inherent vulnerability within the relationship between patient and the hospital system.

Madeline Weale
Utraviolet
Graphic Design
My Body of Work explores the connection to Australian beach environments. By combining a range of art practices including painting, drawing and collage, I have aimed to create a contemporary take on the relaxing essence of Sydney’s ocean baths. The use of Adobe applications and the laser cutter have allowed me to stylistically assert a graphic aesthetic. This is demonstrated through my incorporation of architectural and mechanical linework, reflective of the use of graphic art. In addition to research of Art Deco period advertising, I have been influenced by Matisse’s collages and John Baldessari’s photographic work. These artists have helped me to frame my compositions in a reductive and impactful manner. I hope to provide my audience with a new lens to appreciate and celebrate the outdoor lifestyle that Australian beach culture provides and explore our relationship with outdoor leisure.

Sophie Feros 
Blessed Art Thou Among Women

My exhibition ‘Iconoclasm’ attempts to deconstruct the fragmentation of female identity throughout art history. I seek to uncover historical female ‘stereotypes’, for worship or caution, through recontextualising and subverting these symbols synonymous with what women should and shouldn’t be. My exhibition functions as a reconciliation of my emerging identity through challenging formative cultural images of women. I am influenced by artists and movements that challenge these notions, notably Ana Mendieta, as well as those that established them like Botticelli.
 

Kate Snashall 
Uncle Oscar

My exhibition explores the many faces of sexism in Hollywood, an issue which I hold a strong connection with given my ambitions, as a young woman, to become a filmmaker. This exhibition not only expresses my own experiences and perspective on issues of gender in film but also provokes the audience to question their own connection with Hollywood and how this may or may not be plagued by sexism. I have taken my inspiration from artists such as Zoe Buckman, James Rosenquist, and Nicola Muirhead.

Sophie Christensen 
Vigil

My exhibition is framed around my personal journey in search of what it means to have faith. This journey was evocative as I reflected on the strong female role models who have led me through their journey with faith. Throughout the artmaking process, I utilised a variety of artmaking practices with the hope to uncover the various perspectives about our belief in something we cannot see.

Amelie Kumarasinghe 
Found and Gathered

My exhibition focuses on the interactions between humans and the natural environment, particularly the impact of urban degradation and climate change on my local ecological landscape. Through art forms of drawing, photography and painting I want to direct the audience’s attention to what can be easily overlooked. I hope the audience considers how their actions can have an impact on the immediate environment. To achieve these aims I have drawn inspiration from the art practice of Andy Goldsworthy and Jodie Graham to find a closer connection to the natural world by using found objects, both organic and industrial.

Natasha Lester 
The Island

I am intrigued and captivated by the intangibility of light and the way it reveals itself through a liquid. Water in its purest form is clear and is thus an invisible form of matter, which equally relies on light and its surroundings to define and give it visual context. The transient nature of light and the properties of water that interrupt it creates an infinite spectrum of imagery for inspiration. I hope that my exhibition captures the various ways light interacts with water; creating reflections and refractions both in natural and artificial environments. I explore this through a variety of subject matter, including landscapes, portraits, still-life, and cityscapes in the hope to redirect the audience’s attention to how I see the world.

Matilda O’Leary 
Gaze

Unrealistic beauty standards are a plague in today’s society. I am exposed to the expectations of what to look like through the incessant form of social media. This exhibition aims to showcase my questions about body image and body ownership through the medium of photography, painting, and sculpture. I hope to discover more about myself as I navigate the sociocultural pressures of body image, inevitably raising ethical and aesthetic issues about how we depict, interpret and understand the human form. My body of works calls upon contemporary artists such as Ben Quilty, Joshua Miels and Naum Gobo, they act as a vehicle to inform my material and conceptual aesthetic.

Emily Oates 
Epiphyte

My exhibition responds to the overarching themes of belonging, place, and identity, and more specifically in the context of European settlement in Australia. I attempt to explore the transformation of the natural environment which arose due to the impact of urbanisation and westernisation, and consequently how this has impacted the relationship of indigenous and non-indigenous Australians to a sense of belonging. I incorporate various artmaking methods of painting, photography and drawing to capture the varying states of disconnection and connection to the land and call upon the inspiration of Australian contemporary artists Joan Ross, Imants Tillers, and David Macauley.