Printmaking

I just thought I'd share with you the print that I made in today's Wednesday art workshop at Culture at Work. The classes are on each week at 10.30 am, and cover a range of techniques and subjects. (Visit the website to find out more.) This week's class was printmaking using foam sheets.

I drew the image freehand, based on a photograph that was in today's newspaper. I liked the industrial feel of the steel plates, bolts and spanner because it sits well with a new project I am working on, a series of craft projects in the steampunk style.

Steampunk is a combination of vintage nostalgia and futuristic vision, a way to celebrate the past while we move into an uncertain future. If you'd like to find out more about Steampunk Style, please visit my other blog.

Gaudi and technology

If you're interested in the crossover between art and science, you might like to attend a Centre for Human Aspects of Science and Technology (CHAST) lecture entitled: "Antoni Gaudí's Sagrada Família and its role in assisting the art-science dialogue" by Professor Mark Burry, Director of the Spatial Information Architecture Laboratory, RMIT.

The lecture is to be held on Thursday, 24 May 2012, at 6pm in the Old Geology Lecture Theatre, University of Sydney. All welcome. Free admission, no bookings.

Here's part of the blurb from the website:

While the typical image of Gaudí's work is one that focuses on his artistic virtuosity, his handle on technology nevertheless placed him at the forefront of his profession at the time. His approach to geometry, especially in his later years, places him at the forefront of today's architectural practice. In many ways Gaudí was a reactionary preferring to restrict his building repertoire to traditional techniques, but his approach to design required him to innovate regardless. Mark Burry's talk will describe the translation of this design research into coherent building information and will demonstrate how the technological link between this project and its particular needs have actually contributed to cutting-edge design research for contemporary architecture almost nine decades on from Gaudí's death in 1926. It is the unexpected holism of Gaudí's oeuvre that helps support Mark Burry's view that great architecture helps bridge the gulf between art and science thus offering an essential dialogue between the two.

For more information about this and future CHAST events, including an upcoming lecture by Nobel Prize-winning astronomer Brian Schmidt, go to http://sydney.edu.au/chast/upcoming_events/.

PYRMONT FESTIVAL presents 
the 6th ANNUAL PYRMONT ART PRIZE

EVEN BIGGER & BETTER THAN EVER

PIRRAMA PARK, PYRMONT  --  SUNDAY 20 MAY 11 AM – 5 PM

On Sunday 20 May 2012, a great day has been planned for the celebration of the sixth annual Pyrmont Art Prize. This year the event will be held in Pirrama Park at the old Police Water site on the panoramic foreshore of Sydney Harbour, at the end of Harris Street, Pyrmont. This exciting venue has recently been converted for public use by the City of Sydney.

The day will feature over 300 new artworks on display for the prestigious PYRMONT ART PRIZE, with thousands of dollars in prizes to be won. Official guest speakers and prominent judges have been invited, and a People’s Choice Award will also be presented from the attending public.

Live music and unique performances are always a special feature of the Festival. This year the festival will include street theatre and local talented musicians who will perform all day on stage. This event presented in conjunction with the Pyrmont Festival’s Mudgee wine & food in Pirrama Park. Tickle your taste buds with unique gourmet cuisine and produce direct from Mudgee. Bring your picnic rug and choose from a diverse range of cuisines for lunch and try some of the 120 wines from 30 of Mudgee region's top winemakers.

All artists are invited to enter the art prize, whether they are well known or not and artists are invited to create an art piece for public display and sale. This popular art event has been well attended by the community in past years, and many beautiful, original artworks may be purchased on the day.

• The theme of the art show is SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL. 
• All artworks must be 12 x 12 inches in size and canvases can be picked up from TAP Gallery; 278 Palmer St, Darlinghurst.
• The entry fee of $20/$15 concession includes a canvas (+ $5 for postage, if you want it sent to you)
• You can supply your own canvas, however it must be 12 x 12 inches for display purposes and the entry fee is the same.
• Judges Andrew Frost, art critic, writer and broadcaster, and Marlene Sarroff, visual artist and Factory 49 committee member, will judge and award the prizes on the day.

Pyrmont Art Prize

1st: $1,000 cash + free exhibition at the Tap Gallery valued at $680 + Alternative Media advertisement valued at $380

2nd: $500 cash

3rd: $250 cash

People’s Choice Prize

1st: $500 cash + free exhibition at Culture at Work valued at $500 + Alternative Media advertisement valued at $380

2nd: $300 cash

3rd: $200 cash

Enquiries: Tap Art Gallery -- Lesley Dimmick: 02 9361 0440

TAP ART GALLERY LEVEL 1/278 PALMER ST DARLINGHURST 2010

info@tapgallery.org.au  www.tapgallery.org.au

Brain coral

I've just noticed that there's an interesting exhibition on at Sydney University's Macleay Museum: Coral: Art Science Life.

Works by four artists explore the beauty and fragility of coral reefs, while four scientists report on their studies in reef ecology. Students from schools in Torres Strait share their experience of living on a reef. Sounds fascinating!

I'll let you know more when I've seen it, or you can tell us what you think after your visit. The exhibition is free, and open weekdays from 10am to 4.30pm or the first Saturday of the month, until August 2012. Click on the link above for more information.

Knitting for your brain

When medical student Alana Noritake designed this cute "brain hat", she probably didn't realise that she was offering more than just a method of keeping your head warm.

It's well known that learning a new skill is a beneficial brain exercise, but this study from the Mayo Clinic specifically mentions crafting, along with reading and socialising, as having a positive effect on the development of mild cognitive impairment as you age.

So buy Alana's pattern from the link above and help her pay her way through college; then get knitting, and you'll be doing two (or three) good things at once!

Growing a brain

It was exciting to read this story in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning, about scientists who can convince cast-off skin cells to turn into brain cells. I'm not exactly clear on whether they have grown actual human neurons in the lab from this process, or just the progenitor cells that might turn into neurons later, but the overall positive message seems to be that it may, in future, be possible to transplant stem cells from the patients own tissue into failing brains and thus counteract the degenerative processes of Alzheimer's and age. The full paper is published in Nature Neuroscience, although you need a subscription to read more than the précis.

Neuroscience of art appreciation

It's an old question: What is art? What is "good" art? Do you love the art because it appeals to you or just because it's in an art gallery? It's not just about beauty, because some of the world's most famous artworks are quite ugly or horrific.

There's also the question of "real" art versus "fakes". Is the art of any less value if the brush was wielded by one of Rembrandt's students rather than the master himself? Does knowing whether a work is authentic add to your appreciation?

The new ABC Radio National show, Books & Arts Daily, recently ran an interview with Professor Martin Kemp about his research with neuroscientists into how the brain responds to "authentic" and "fake" art. Listen here. Fascinating!