Saturday, November 27, 2010

12 ANGELS now in stores


Twelve Angels was created in the spacecraft studio by Stewart Russell.


recollections on the origins of the idea:

It was a sunday, I was rearranging a bookcase when I came across an old

sketchbook... full of ideas for artworks, diagrams and descriptions. It was

from a long time ago, probably only a year or two out of art college. Some of

the projects had been realised, but I stopped at an idea I’d almost completely

forgotten. There were about six pages of notes and sketches of Angels, I

was trying to link an essay by Walter Benjamin, I guess 1940’s, and the Wim

Wenders movie, Wings of Desire which would’ve been early 80’s. On the last

page I’d scribbled down a line on Walter Benjamin’s critique of a Paul Klee

drawing...

“ the angel of history - being drawn inexorably into the future by progress, but

travelling forward into the future looking backwards - facing our history”.

Then Grace and Flora came back and I realised the bookcase would have to

wait for another day - so I grabbed the camera and we went in search of Angels.


The process of recreating a photograph as a screen print is underpinned by creating a

halftone film from a continuous tone photograph. From that point, once the image is on

screen you can begin to explore the possibilities.

One evening, after a long session of testing print qualities, we were looking at a wall of

prints and discussing how to proceed. Then an idea emerged, pehaps we could show

the range of processes. So rather than making a decision on a single approach I decided

to make twelve Angels, created individually using sections of the studio backing cloth,

elaborately layered botanical imagery, masks, stencils, transparent and semi opaque

washes or simply priming fabric highlighting the qualities of the photograph.


Thanks to the spacecraft team that worked on this project, Clara Gladstone, Marina Breit

and Danielle Smyth.



Twelve Angels NOW IN STORES

spacecraft studio - new work

contact studio to discuss / view (03) 9329 4129

NEW CUSHIONS


Now in store (click on image to see bigger)

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Spacecraft T-towels


While searching the amazing archives of old Melbourne architecture we came across this gem, the Melbourne CBD plan from 1954. It's so extreme, you would be laughed out of the house if a planner came up with any one of these concepts today. To play a bit further with this one we asked our local bush foods expert about what could have been found in these areas previously, and added some localities for these too.

Australia always offers up good tales of historic authorship, especially in naming and giving things title. The gum we call 'Yellow Gum' and often print with was taken from the tree just outside the studio in North Melbourne, this beauty also goes under the name of 'Tarrk' for the Djadja Wurrung people or 'Rosea Leucoxylon Connata' in Latin. We're enjoying the play between the Indigenous and the Latin names.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Saturday, November 6, 2010