Learn more about the the works in IOTA21: Curiosity and Rituals of the Everyday at this free artist talk with Sarah Elson and Susie Vickery.

Sarah Elson is a Western Australian artist who has pursued an interest in traditional metalsmithing and its use in contemporary visual arts practice since the 1990s. Creating several works for the exhibition which capture the malevolent resilience and florid complexity of Western Australian native seed casings and flowers, Sarah will discuss the process of casting these in metal to create her detailed, delicate pieces.

Attendees will also have the chance to try on her work Jewels of the Crown Land 5 – spider gum cloak.

The IOTA21 curators will then lead a tour through the exhibition before esteemed textile artist Susie Vickery (WA) shares her thoughts about the popular collaborative installation The Curious Five Go Surfing.

 

Sarah Elson

Sarah Elson’s work examines the nature of preciousness and the preciousness of nature. Transience, ephemerality, sensuality and reciprocity are key words in Sarah’s practice – so too an understanding of community, relationships and the entanglement of life. The act of making for Sarah is a meditation on growth; realized through the fluid potential of a medium often perceived as static. The sensuality in her work, of material and subject matter, draws out a philosophical attitude to being.

Her work is held in the collections of the Art Gallery of Western Australia, John Curtin Gallery, Edith Cowan University and the Janet Holmes à Court Collection. She is a member of Art Collective WA, Perth where she recently presented a solo show.

Susie Vickery

Susie’s curiosity has taken her around the world and led to several careers. She began as a theatrical costumier in Australia and the UK, specialising in men’s 19th Century dress. After moving to Kathmandu and Mumbai she worked as a craft consultant with income generation and community art workshops with projects in India, Nepal, Tibet, Myanmar, Mexico and Turkey, responding to local materials and artistic traditions. At the same time, she was studying embroidery by distance learning and creating her own textile art.

Susie creates embroidered animations, automata and textile pieces inspired by the projects she works with.

Susie’s work has been exhibited in London, Birmingham, Sweden, USA, Norway, Wales, Perth, Mumbai, Melbourne and rural Western Australia. Since returning to Australia, Susie has facilitated art workshops with local Aboriginal and refugee groups and continues to work with Tibetan, Nepali and Turkish projects. She also runs embroidery and textile workshops in the UK, Australia and online.