ASTRAL BOTANICAL: INTRODUCTION & CONCEPTUAL FOUNDATION
Hello and welcome to Astral Botanical: an exhibition of paintings, prints and object art funded by Yarra City Arts. Astral Botanical celebrates the natural wonders of the Abbotsford Convent Heritage Garden – situated in Abbotsford, Melbourne – reconfiguring it as a Universe of deep space phenomena. Astral Botanical creatively translates plant-life as celestial bodies to emphasise the garden’s distinctive beauty and rarity in an urban setting. Conceptually, Astral Botanical reflects on the practice of recycling, as a comparison can be drawn between garden and cosmos – nature and the Universe - each nurturing ecosystems of birth, transformation, and renewal. In space this occurs via events such as supernova - a bursting star - which propels elemental materials into space where new celestial bodies such as stars are born and develop. This parallels nature on Earth too – for when plant life dies, shedding its leaves, petals, etc., the soil is fed with these nutrients with which to create and nurture new life. Thus, recycling occurs in both arenas of nature. To reflect this, certain art objects in the show exemplify the practice of recycling as they are constructed from used materials. But more about these in a following description. I’m Pamela Bain – the creator of the exhibition’s paintings and art objects. Some objects have been designed to be touched and handled - offering blind and low vision visitors engagement with the show as well. Additionally, other sculpted works trigger sound when touched. The brains behind this is Dr Jeff Hannam: Sound designer and Associate Lecturer at RMIT. Astral Botanical will also offer large print art label folders plus Braille for four touch objects as both Jeffrey and I aim to offer an equitable experience for all audiences where possible. Thanks for listening and please enjoy the following descriptions.
BRUGMANSIA NEBULA
On my journey through the Heritage Garden I discovered Brugmansia flowers and was fascinated by the exotic petal shapes. Their blossoms are white and tubular in form and splays out like a trumpet. Along the edges of their 5 petals, each one tapers out in the middle to form a long twisty tendril ending in a delicate point. Commonly known as Jimsonweed, Angel's Trumpet and Devil’s Trumpet I interpreted one as a nebula – thus, naming it Brugmansia Nebula. It is painted on a circular canvas 70cm in diameter. The painting of this plant-like nebula is shown from a semi side on view - the slender bottom part of the form begins at bottom left stretching up diagonally to top right to where the bowl of petals widens out - revealing the inside of the corolla bowl – the opened flower part. Though the actual flower is white, I painted the narrow bottom section in pale reds and blues to highlight the opening of the white corolla. It splays out in white feathery brushstrokes and becomes the primary focus of the painting. On the 2 nearest petals, small circles mark out the petal edges. These range in size, and form an undulating line representing stars. It marks a dividing line between the white corolla and lower thinner part of its plant. These circles – some blue and some red – all display bright white centres as if to shine. The line of stars juttingly extends in the middle point of each petal to suggest the flower’s spiky protrusions - the circles growing smaller toward their tips to reflect the tapering spikes. The curving lines and sweeping brushstrokes - give the painting a flowing feel. The white fanning waves of the corolla endow the work with tonal impact against the surrounding black area that encases the overall plant shape. The surrounding black area occupies about 20% of the painting which has been dotted with small random white specks to evoke stars in black space. The nebula/plant sits between 5 – 10 away from the border.
PPLANET POMEGRANATE
Wandering further around the Heritage Garden I also found a pomegranate tree. Several fruits had fallen to the ground and some were in a state of disintegration. I chose to paint a ripe pomegranate in oil paint and transformed it into a planet – entitled Pomegranate Planet. The canvas is round and 70cm in diameter. The pomegranate form, occupies about 80% of the canvas. The pomegranate form is painted in bright reds with gleaming white highlights to resemble light shining off the rounded shape. The red hue deepens into dark reds at the bottom and sides. The background is a rich, bright blue, providing a stark contrast to the red pomegranate. This blue darkens toward the edges of the canvas and is dotted with white specks to simulate stars. Closely encircling the red sphere are soft, cloud-like forms in flowing trajectories, occasionally peeking out from behind the pomegranate. These clouds also extend over parts of the red shape. Four gouged sections of the red pomegranate planet skin reveal very dark red coloured seeds within, accented with white areas to create a glistening effect. The calyx at the top is painted as a short stubby bump with pointed tips resembling the shrivelled node of ripened fruit in reality. Painted in a figuratively abstract style Planet Pomegranate offers a whimsical and quirky context that aims to be fun and playful.
ROSA NEBULA
A rose garden is housed within the Heritage Garden in the Abbotsford Convent grounds showcasing a diverse array of rose varieties that span a spectrum of colours from yellows and pinks to orange and deep reds. I chose a red rose to translate into a nebula aptly entitle Rosa Nebula. This artwork is painted on a circular canvas 70cm in diameter and the centrally positioned image occupies about 80% of the canvas. This work depicts a view of the rose nebula as if viewing a rose from above looking down. The flower is in a state of semi bloom – neither a bud nor fully bursting. It is surrounded by a black background and sprinkled with white specks to evoke the essence of a starry night sky. The outer petals are predominantly rich red hues become light pinkish tones in the middle of the flower where the petals are yet to open. The darker red outer petals blend in places to white on the petal edges – painted in a feathery style. Whitish roundels filter through the rose shape representing larger stars and star clusters. The bright reds and size of the formation creates a bold and striking image.
TOUCH AND LISTEN OBJECTS
Astral Botanical presents 4 touch and listen objects enabling hand exploration of formations and activation of sound effects. Three represent Earthbound plants – the pomegranate, rose, and cardoon - while the fourth object translates the cardoon as an interstellar space event. These pieces can be viewed from the front and at angled side views on the right and left. The pieces can be touched on all sides apart from the bottom.
POMEGRANATE OBJECT
equals 25cm high x 15cm wide in size. It replicates a pomegranate sitting in simulated soil as if it has fallen from a tree onto the ground, thus, the lower part of the fruit is hidden. It is housed in a black ceramic pot. It is depicted in its third stage of development when the calyx – the pointed triangular shapes –fan out from the growing fruit. These recede over time - shriveling as the fruit matures and becomes red. The object is constructed from paper sculpting processes and is painted light yellowy green tinged with red. Fine wires are wound in and around the middle of the calyx. Touching these filaments activates sound which mimics the pomegranate’s rounded form – a blend of soft bulbous tones and gentle insect murmurs coalescing into a warm, organic soundscape.
ROSE OBJECT
totals 32cm tall x 15 cm wide.It also sits within a black ceramic pot and displays the papier mâché constructed rose nearing full bloom and stands tall on a green stem. The rose petals are painted in soft pale pinks that blend into red on the edges. Fine wires can be found under the lowest petals. Touching these will trigger delicate overtones and a subtle chorus of tiny insect sounds. The gentle cascade of rose petals evokes a sense of harmony and warmth.
CARDOON OBJECT
The overall size equals 38cm tall x 15cm wide.These plants are closely related to the artichoke family. The green stem and flower of this replica stands in a black ceramic pot. Its flower displays 8 rows of hand painted paper sculpted petals which are spikey at the ends and partially bend outward revealing a purply red hue on their inside. The outside petal surfaces are painted in cream, muted yellows, and soft browns becoming darker at their edges. Elongated stamen tendrils made from coated electrical wire are painted pink. Traversing in and out of these are fine wire threads. When touched, they activate sound effects which reflect the dramatic contours of the Cardoon petals - conjuring a soundscape of minute insect murmurs, punctuated by crisp, percussive clicks and pops that echo the jagged rhythm of the bloom itself.
CARDOON KILO NOVA OBJECT
The object comprises two forms joined together and equal in total 30cm in length.It sits in a round black convex container 38cm in diameter. This piece playfully reinterprets 2 cardoon flowers crashing together to simulate a kilo nova. This is a deep space event that occurs usually when two neutron stars smash together - exploding in a burst of light and elemental matter. To represent this, two flowers – same shape as the above mentioned flowers - join in the middle and form a diagonal across a black concave circular structure which sits upright on a stand. One flower/neutron star is directed down at an angle toward the centre from top right and the other is directed upward toward the centre from bottom left. Handling this object will tactilely reveal the head-on collision in the middle where the top two rows of petals and pink stamen-like shoots of each flower flail out – the latter appropriated from coated electrical wire and painted pink. The rows of elongated petals on the lower half of each flower blend from green at their base to pink while the rows of petals on the upper half of the flowers blend from pale greens to blue and then white at the tips the closer they get to the other flower – their spikey tapers stretching up and outward like spears. Toward bottom right just below the joined forms and amongst some stamen tendrils can be found fine wires that trigger sound when touched. Feeling these will audibly bring the kilo nova to life unleashing a surge of energetic audio effects, scattering the sound of sparks and crackling bursts into a volatile field of granular sound—charged, expressive, and alive with kinetic intensity. LED lights placed inside each flower with light escaping between the two forms help to create a central focus and explosive effect in the middle of the overall object. In this scenario the black container made from papier mâché represents the darkness of deep space while the black pots holding the other objects signify Earth bound plants.