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Stamp state dry tropical

A steel framed with fibre glass core suitable for being hung outdoors. There are depictions on both sides so open spaces such as archways give optimal perspectives. The name STATE STAMP references the mining Battery Stamp as well as its historical connotation to the dry tropical mining in the region. A retrospective of early artworks from the 1990’s informs interests in the dry tropics deep history.

Compositional features.

Printed fabric of photographs (as object photos) of the battery stamp are printed on fabric then sewn onto the fibre glass core. An image of the battery stamp cut out of lino then covered in layered resin forms a resemblance of the relic. Wire hoops are embedded into the fibre glass. Steel rods are threaded through all four sides to create a fixed armature. After the rods are in place soft tissue fibre glass is embedded between the rods and print which is then hardened with resin and layered with paints and clear casting resin.

Thematic correlations.

Relation to the dry tropics, North Queensland.

The notion of dry tropical art is implicit within the works. The colours resemble the grasses of the dryer region. A tiny photograph print is embedded near the figure to resemble a hidden element to mining enterprise. The Battery Stamp forms part of a series that explores the relation of the ‘will to power’. Philosophically, State Stamp forms a personal endurance, relating to globalization and its discontents.

State Stamp as a art historical reference.

The story of the battery stamp being carted over the ranges begins as part of my traveling muse artworks series. The settler culture from Europe and Asia came to make their fortune at sites like the Palmer River, however it was John Moffatt brought in heavy equipment such as the Battery Stamp. This has a reference to dry tropical mining in that the set and setting is established in a ecosystem.

This became the mining empire near Irvinebank that was latter bought by the Queensland Government after Moffits retirement.

Angor to Zillmanton: stories of North Queensland’s deserted towns by Colin Hooper

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Musk up as a conceptual work

A response to mask up and over. Firstly to investigate its function as a mask the reference to political voice, freedom to express, and the role of advocacy as a public good. The side with abstract designs is a flip side to world politics authoritarian modes since the pandemic began in early 2020. The civic freedoms to travel repressed to a degree unknown to many generations, even boomers.

Material composition of mask up art

Fiberglass core with fabric and painted print, linocut. A photograph taken in 2015 while traveling through Indonesia of a street mural and then printed, layered with resin, and painted (oil, textile, ink, water-based paints). The steel frame permits multiple modes of attachment and angles of the work. This is part of a current series of works. There is a retrospective of artworks from the early 1990’s that reference the mouth.

Syncretic

The syncretic aspect of mask up is to do with blending of aesthetic styles in line with functional of a medical nature. The depiction itself has a bold text style that if worn in public would be a kind of advocacy for the new rules. A key conceptual element with syncretism is to borrow and blend. So with any rapid shift in cultural norms, which is in this case a global trend can bring up interesting novel modes of expression. This artwork is a way for me to investigate the semantics of mask as a global functional modal for bio power and control.

Gnostic

This relates to the philosophy of possible states of affairs, in that we can image things having gone differently from the onset of this pandemic. The gnostic element is that the we seek to know this non visible form. It almost a spiritual form by token of not being an organism, but then also not being an inorganic compound. So the artwork plays with this grey area of the syncretic gnostic elemental nature of this event and the gaze from behind the mask.

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Music GIG is a syncretic gnostic artwork

Music gig as an artwork consists of a steel frame with fibre glass core gives the work a robust sense. That allows the artwork to be weather resistant as well as hung at multiple angles and in those uncanny locations. A process of sublimation printing enabled the side A depiction has been covered with a resin for further protection.

The work reflects features of the tropical north.

Tropical North Queensland has its music gig culture similar to the capital cities where dream power remains the guide to many an artist. Side B depicts a photographic element of a bird in flight along with a figure reaching out that represents the animated nature of the event in non human terms. There is an article on object photography that dives into the metaphysics of this art practice.

The concept of syncretic gnostic.

Syncretic

The notion that music has many influences and so becomes a blend of styles. The core cultural tenant of syncretism is that in general in times of peaceful transitions religions blend with local traditions as is the case with the major world religions. It is in this sense that artforms reflect this transition including languages that change over time.

Gnostic

The implicit transcendence associated with music and ritual leads to a new kind of knowledge. This can be associated with a conscious awareness of being a kind of perceiving subject, along with a deep tribal connection to people and musical styles and tastes. An music event is a special for it gives a sense of freedom from the usual daily routine. It is in this spirit I created the artwork as a homage to youth and musical transcendence. A retrospective of artwork from the early 1990’s gives a backdrop to this artwork.

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