WHEN : 7th Mar, 3:00 – 4:30pm
WHERE : Library conference room, Level 1, Duhig Building, St Lucia campus
A panel discussion responding to the exhibition ‘If Pain Persists: Linde Ivimey Sculpture’ with Dr Sylvie Shaw, artist Linde Ivimey and exhibition curator Louise Martin-Chew.
The title of the discussion is inspired by the ‘Ice Warriors’ series of work that Linde Ivimey made following her trip to Antarctica to take part in celebrations marking the 100th Anniversary of Sir Douglas Mawson’s expedition. In this series, the figure of Sir Douglas Mawson appears in a thickly insulated, hooded suit. His bony face is encrusted with ice, yet his carved wooden feet are bare and exposed, evoking church statuary and symbolising his humanity and sacrifice.
Antarctica as a ‘destination’ has taken on new meaning in the 21st century with the rise of cultural tourism, the search for resources and the impact of climate change. Portrayed as a heroic figure in the landscape, Mawson’s leadership and resilience have been memorialised, as Antarctica undergoes irrevocable change.
Panellists:
Dr Sylvie Shaw (chair) is Lecturer in Religion and Spirituality Studies in the School of History, Philosophy, Religion and Classics at The University of Queensland. Her research straddles the fields of religion and the environment, and she has recently completed a study on climate change across South East Queensland. She loves to seek out wild places for adventure and challenge. This quest for the wild has taken her dog sledding in Northern Canada, mountain climbing in New Zealand, and kayaking in Greenland. These trips have given her an insight into the dangers, fears and exhilarations of the brave explorers, like Mawson and company, who sought to know the great unknown.
Linde Ivimey’s sculpture is often technically complex and intricate, utilising skills from welding to cooking, weaving, wood-sculpting, and sewing, all adapted to create objects with an intense personal resonance. The emotional impact of her figures and animals is multiplied by her use of materials – skin, bone, fabric, hair, wax, gemstones, teeth, and other personal and found objects.
Louise Martin-Chew is a freelance writer based in Brisbane. She writes books, catalogue essays, newspaper and magazine reviews, and is a director (with Alison Kubler) of mc/k art, a consultancy that focuses on public art, public programs and publications.
Presented in collaboration with Fryer Library. During the panel discussion, Mawson-related items from the Fryer Library collection will be on view in the conference room.
Image :Frank Hurley, Ice mask, C.T. Madigan, between 1911-1914, Glass negative
