Category Archives: aurelia’s fuzzy bunyips

the creative process of Aurelia Carbone

The Analogue Laboratory

Posted on by

A little over a year ago now, a superlative young man by the name of Alex Bishop-Thorpe and I began plotting how we might install a photographic darkroom inside the fledgeling Fontanelle Gallery and Studios. It was exciting – watching the old factory transform into artist’s studios while we busily hunted around Adelaide for all the invisible bits and pieces that go into making a truly winning darkroom.

Welcome to The Analogue Laboratory

According to Legend, Alex had been hoarding photography equipment for the last six years waiting for an opportunity just like this one. We had a darkroom sink, a drying cabinet, loads of enlargers, trays, tanks, beakers, filters and lenses – but most of all we had lots and lots and lots of enthusiasm. We were able to salvage an enormous revolving darkroom door and re-purpose some industrial extraction fans we found in the roof. The City of Charles Sturt kindly supported our endeavour with the funds to build and install brand new enlarger benches. I cheekily took off to New York City on a 3 month residency right at that point – but Alex and his dad Kim completed the darkroom fit-out just in time for the first series of alternative photography workshops.

That’s how it started, and thanks to Alex’s very hard work we are still going strong. Over January and February 2013 we have a series of workshops aimed at novice photographers on pinhole cameras, creative polaroids and Holga plastic lens cameras. Later this year we intend to run more workshops on more advanced subjects such as wet plate collodion. We are thrilled by the response to the workshops – which are mostly completely full – and the enthusiasm of the workshop participants. I had no idea Adelaide was replete with analogue photography enthusiasts, but I’m very pleased that it is and that they are coming to play our lab 😀

The Analogue Laboratory website is growing, but I think it already gives a pretty good idea about what we do. Have a read – maybe we can work on something together!

Going Up?

Posted on by
Reply


My boys are my favourite collaborators, but working with old friends and their mad skillz is also up there on the list. Check out what Karen and the boys and I were able to make together, even though she’s in London and we’re back home on the beach.

This looping video is the welcome & soundtrack to the Instant Perspective Machine – on for another 3 weeks until the 16th of December 2012 at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia Project Space. Check it out & make art with me!

Art Marathon: sparkles & sunburn

Posted on by
Reply

Up early and all set up just in time for … rain! But not too much to cancel our big install day (this was third time lucky, after all) so we drank cups of tea and devoured the weather forecast websites while we sat in the car and waited for the rain to pass.

Seeing the project in negative made us excited for the next step…

Finally, painting!

Today we got the first and most important layer of the project down on the concrete. Just a little more finessing to do on Saturday, along with the all important task of marking the right spot to stand. After that we can all sit back and watch what the Japanese refer to as wabi-sabi in effect – time and the tide will change and beautify what we’ve made. The tide will wash away the moon incrementally – it will slowly wane from a full moon down to a little crescent moon, and then wash away entirely.

Today I was able to use a new (to me) material I’ve been really curious about – special glass beads made for road applications. I have several sacks of tiny round sparkles that road workers throw into still wet paint to make signs & lines reflective. We have used them in this anamorphic piece, so if you make it down to see the moon – check out how sparkly it is! Rainbow moon! ♥

Lots of people stopped to say hello and ask questions – apparently this artwork has been eagerly (and I suspect trepiditiously) anticipated by many of the local residents. I honestly didn’t realise so many people love that spot as much as I do.

Art Marathon: let’s make stuff together

Posted on by
Reply

Instant Perspective Machine* opened on the 2nd of November 2012 at the Contemporary Art Centre of South Australia’s Project Space. I am so happy to the response to the work so far :duck: It was fun, people were interested and friendly. Most people figured out the machine really quickly, but the people who didn’t get it quite right were really into it anyway!

By way of description here is a little snippet from the media release:

For Instant Perspective Machine, Aurelia Carbone converts The Project Space into an immersive optical illusion installation, complete with an analogue recording device in the form of a heavily modified instant (polaroid-type) camera. The illusion is a form of anamorphosis – a design that appears to float and only forms its intended shape from a particular view point. The work invites audiences to participate in an essential part of the machine’s operation – by walking through the space, by climbing steps and flipping switches, visitors will activate the machine which will then provide analogue photographic ‘evidence’.

Sundari and the Instant Perspective Machine

With the last exhibition opening of the year also being the annual Christmas Party, the event felt really festive – it was neat being able to contribute to that feeling by giving everyone a personalised “Polaroid” to take away with them. In fact, we blazed through 90 pieces of Fuji Instax Wide Film in 2 hours! Sundari sent me this iPhone snap of her ‘evidence’ with a view of the anamorphosis & the Machine console. I love this analogue/digital business!

Heidi & Amy Joy get transported … and who is that lurking in the sidelines?

How awesome is this one!? Instax to Instagram in less than 12 hours! Thank you Heidi and Amy Joy, this is absolute gold for my research and mad fun at the same time.

There is more to the exhibition than the machine – a new video piece and some enormous prints of my new work. My wonderful new catalogues (designed by Jessica Mathews 😀 ) didn’t arrive until after the opening 🙁 but perhaps that’s a gift for those who didn’t make it to the party.

I’d like to tell you more about the incredible custom modifications on the Instax camera that Alex Bishop-Thorpe coaxed together and the superb editing in the video work courtesy of Karen Lobban, but I’ve got to get to bed! All day hiking today with the Big O (we saw 2 baby koalas and their mums!), and an early start on the Marino boat launch tomorrow – superb Miss Delana is lending me a hand on that install, too. Night!

*best results obtained in bright colours