Art, Ecology and Digital Futures at Noosa Parks Association
Noosa Natural Ecologies artist-in-residence, Marian Tubbs describes her body of work as an ‘assemblage-focussed experimental practice’ as she juxtaposes the analogue and the digital, the physical and virtual, the natural and artificial, transforming ordinary visions into new experiences. This assemblage approach extended to the mix of audience members attending The Refinery’s artist talk with Marian at the Friday Environmental Forum in collaboration with Noosa Parks Association.
Members of the association sat alongside artists and arts industry leaders to discuss the role of art and interdisciplinary approaches to ecological conservation, regeneration, and community engagement with Marian’s residency as the centerpiece of discussion.
Marian began her residency in May and this was the first public discussion delving into her plans and the creative process which will focus on the biodiversity of the Noosa Everglades and World-Heritage listed K’gari.
Interested in the synergies and oppositions inherent in natural environments and digital spaces, Marian shared some of her recent works using video, AI, sculpture, and mixed-media found objects as exemplars of her inquiries into materiality, pelagic plastics (islands of floating rubbish) and the subtropic visual aesthetic as well as sharing her plans for the new works to be created in the residency through a Q&A style discussion with Toni Wills, SCCA’s Executive Director.
Returning from undertaking fieldwork at Noosa Everglades, camping with sonic recorders and macro-lens cameras, Marian spoke to looking at and listening deeply to the environment as the inspiration for the AR filters and video work for the CAVE2 system that will be a focus of her work during the residency.
Marian shared her belief in the democratisation of art through the use of digital technologies and smartphones and how this type of application is opening up art to new audiences. She spoke to how digital work can also solve the dilemma of ‘art miles’, where a simple video file can be sent over the internet for international exhibitions, rather than relying on shipping of physical pieces which require crate packaging, fuel and energy.
Central to the talk was the contribution of interdisciplinary approaches to the environmental challenges we face as a collective and the role of academic research collaboration, such as UniSC’s Creative Ecologies Research Cluster (CERC), in finding solutions. With the support of CERC and funding through Arts Queensland and Noosa Council, Marian will travel to K’gari for the next field trip with a group of other interdisciplinary artists interested in culturally responsive engagement with place and the intersectionality of art, technology, environment and design.
Continuing her enquiry on K’gari will inform her work in progress artist showing, a video piece in response to these two unique natural landscapes will be shown in the CAVE2 system on 18 September at UniSC.
Image credits: Image courtesy of Marian Tubbs; Marian Tubbs, ‘shields and the meta verse café’, Lenticular photograph, 60 x 90cm. Courtesy of the artist and STATION, Australia; ‘Backwash’, Installation view, works on view ‘nervous systems’ and ‘reversible destiny’, Drill Hall Gallery, ANU, 2023.
R|Artist Residency: Noosa Natural Ecologies is presented by SCCA through The Refinery in partnership with the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC. Supported by Major Partners, Queensland Government through Arts Queensland, Sunshine Coast Council, and
Noosa Council through the Regional Arts Development Fund. Delivered with support from Noosa Biosphere Reserve Foundation and
Noosa Parks Association.
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