Generation Loss, 2023 is an instance of my exploration into a personal visual system. The work is an amalgamation of repetition, abstraction, and geometric visual elements. The work utilises found pages from an aged copy of "Handbook of Art" by Graham Hopwood — a school text of mine. These pages function as the canvas for the work and a nod to memory. The intent is a juxtaposition of past and present, tradition and technology.
The grid formed by the book pages serves as a structured platform for the controlled exploration of form and content. This grid fosters a dialogue between graphic elements and unintentional art history references.
The integration of my art practice and interest in printing technologies in this work holds significance within the context of RMIT Graphic Design's print/teaching spaces. This amalgamation of teaching and creative practice is integral to my approach. It enables me to engage with a community of learners and makers.
Generation Loss, was shown as part of Teacher, Maker, Creator, RMIT Brunswick in December 2023.
Simon Rankin & Dale Nason
July 19th – August 5th, 2023
Simon Rankin and Dale Nason combine individual works in a gallery installation examining the present moment of supply & demand.
Simon’s work digs into a fresh set of visual exploration and production constraints. This show sees Simon manufacturing large scale fabric pieces produced across the print shop and sewing room, incorporating various printmaking and machine stitching techniques. Non-representational collage processes persist, but digital and industrially produced imagery and patterning have been introduced. Operating under the cloud of the algorithm and machine learning, Simon embraces the idea of error and unexpected outcome in the studio. His work examines how remnants from one activity can serve as the foundation for another, as these traces are reintegrated and assembled into novel forms. This work invites contemplation on the inherent potential that lies within what may have been discarded.
Dale Nason presents outcomes from creative practice research in printing typography and related communities of practice. His relief printing plates are made using subtractive 3d printing (CNC milling). This inquiry is situated in overlapping and abutting communities of practice, where activist printmaking methodologies coexist with design education, and bureaucratic affect is adopted to develop an ongoing simulated-workplace situation. The resistance of play, and a reflection on the fragmented archives of letterpress printing combine with speculation into material waste, socio-technical tolerance, resource supply lines, and individual glyphs to spell out variable prompts.
Dale and Simon are both practicing artists and graphic design teachers. Dale is also a PhD candidate.
Mar 3 – 14, 2023
Sandbox Studios, Brunswick
There are common factors between the disparate notions of algorithm and improvisational picture making. Both involve a balance between structure and freedom. Both progress through the handling of errors or unexpected outcomes. An algorithm is a set of instructions/rules that provide a framework for problem solving. Algorithms are used in computer programming, where they automate processes or analyse data. Improvisational picture making also usually involves a set of rules or parameters. These constrain an artists practice but allow for variation and unpredictability. In both cases, errors or unexpected outcomes can occur. In the context of algorithms, an error can result in the program not running correctly or producing unintended results.
For example, the error “Selected area is empty,” indicates that the program is attempting to perform an operation on a data set that does not exist. While errors may seem like a negative occurrence in both algorithms and improvisational picture making, they can be valuable sources of information and inspiration. In programming, an error message can point to a specific issue that needs to be addressed or indicate a potential area for improvement. In improvisational picture making, an unexpected mark or interaction between colours can lead to new directions in the artwork. Algorithms and improvisational picture making both involve a balance between structure and freedom, and both rely on the occurrence of errors or unexpected outcomes. While errors may initially be seen as negative occurrences, they can also provide valuable opportunities for learning and creative exploration.
The message “Selected area is empty” in programming and the notion of error in improvisational picture making both highlight the importance of embracing the unexpected and the unknown in the creative process.
Photography: Tim Gresham
Large works
Cotton fabric, cotton thread, dye, acrylic paint, spray paint, 120 cm x 120 cm
1 /imagine, 2023
2 Rate limit, 2023
3 An error occurred, 2023
4 Experiencing high demand, 2023
5 Singularity, 2023
Small works - framed
Linen, pine stretches, acrylic paint, spray paint, cotton thread, framed in lime washed Victorian ash, 38 x 49 cm
1 Selected area is empty No.1, 2022
2 Selected area is empty No.2, 2022
Small works - Unframed
Linen, pine stretches, acrylic paint, spray paint, cotton thread, 35.5 x 46 cm
1 Noise, 2022
2 Blocked, 2023
3 Undefined is not an object, 2023
4 Bug, 2023
5 Hidden grid, 2023
6 Vanishing Point..., 2023
7 More memories, 2023
8 Help center, 2023
9 Passive income, 2023
10 Access denied, 2023
11 I apologise for the error, 2022
12 Except All Changes, 2023
13 Blocked, 2023
14 Help, 2023
15 For you, 2023
16 Future, 2023
17 Feed, 2023
18 Prompt, 2023
19 Flaw, 2022
20 $20us/m +gst, 2023
21 Line 17, 2023
22 Bloom, 2023
23 Selected, 2023
24 Password incorrect, 2022