1 - 19 April 2009

Femme Spirits

The Loading Dock and Long Room
Group show curated by Bronwyn Orrock and Sylvia Ray

'Femme Spirits' is a representation of work from a group of nine female artists:
Lee Imlay, Clare Mahaffy, Masy Mohammadi, Bronwyn Orrock, Margaret Rayner, Sylvia Ray, Franca Sibert, Sharon Taylor and Largo Von Bismarck.

The exhibition includes works in ceramics, photography, fibre art and printmaking and reflects the broad range of interests these artists have. The artists explore a variety of themes in their work, from spirituality to sexuality and everything in between. Some of the work is whimsical and full of fun while other works are more serious and thought-provoking. All of the works are uplifting and optimistic. Sylvia Ray

A Depiction of Nature

Riona Tindal and Daniel O'Brien - The Pit

'A Depiction of Nature' documents the encounters with nature that Riona Tindal and Daniel O'Brien have faced during their expeditions throughout northern New South Wales. Their photos and illustrations represent their experiences with the rare and wonderful found only in remote areas. This exhibiton is a juxtaposition of two artists: a scientist and an illustrator and showcases the discoveries of their field work and research over the summer. Fuelled by their common interest in amphibians, they search for the unusual, the rare and the endangered. Riona Tindal & Daniel O'Brien

End of the Line

Bree Cunningham - The Locker Room

'End of the Line' is a photographic collage of the last rail line in Newcastle. It is based on a journey from Broadmeadow through to Newcastle and remembers those whose lives have been touched and forever changed by the End of the Line. Bree Cunningham

Going Around in Circles

Maree Van-Tent - The Hoist

The objects gathered together in this exhibition constitute the final point of a sustained, repetitive process. Any notion of 'creativity' here is, for the most part, to be found within the performance of a single action that is repeated until each work is resolved. The title, 'Going around in circles', operates on several levels most obviously in a visual sense. The layers of coils these vessels are composed of can also be linked with the state of mind or series of decisions and acts invoked in the phrase of my title. My practice is neither frustrating or self-defeating, though. A committed engagement with a given material results in a process of introspectionthat is conducive to creativity. Maree Van-Tent

Turn over the Tender

Trine Deans - The Media Space

In a small and intimate space you can find comfort and the arousing emotion of nostalgia. What is now the past remains framed in pictures hung on a wall and waiting to be re-discovered. 'Turn over the Tender' offers an eclectic series of silk screen-prints on vintage wallpaper. Each print is a story of the old and charming. Trine Deans

Watt Space is funded by the UoN Services Limited and supported by the School of Drama, Fine Art and Music at the University of Newcastle.  All associated images and information copyright © the artists, Watt Space & the University of Newcastle, Australia. Building images © Roger Hanley