Kath Fries Studio: June 2012

2012 Gosford Residency - weed seed installations

Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa, Gosford residency research, June 2012

Cobbler's Pegs (Bidens pilosa) is a weed found around the Gosford CBD. It's also commonly known as Spanish Needle, Farmers Friends, Pitchforks and Sticky Beaks - because of its velcro-like burrs. But its not always considered a weed in other parts of the world, in sub-Saharan Africa the tender shoots and young leaves are eaten and in traditional Chinese medicine this plant is considered a medicinal herb, called xian feng cao (咸豐草).

Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa, found wallpaper, weeds and pipes,
Gosford residency research, June 2012

In this installation cobbler's peg burrs climb wallpaper to suggest the ease with which these seeds spread via people's clothing from the outside world into domestic interiors. Despite our constant vigilance to keep nature in its place, it creeps in and disrupts our attempts to maintain our sanitised civilised aspirations.

Kath Fries, Bidens pilosa and wallpaper, Gosford residency research, June 2012

Tecoma Stans, photo by Forest & Kim Starr

Yellow Trumpet Bush (Tecoma stans) are a common sight around the Gosford CBD area - each tree is prolific, dispersing thousands of their papery seeds on the wind at this time of the year. Although Yellow Trumpet Bush is a pesky weed in Australia, its native to the Americas and widely grown in India, where its used in traditional medicine - the root is a powerful diuretic,vermifuge and tonic; grinding the root with lemon juice is used to treat snake and rat bites, and as a remedy for scorpion stings.

Kath Fries, Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pods in the studio, 2012

I've collected Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pinned them to the wall on a charcoal drawing of the wind. At first you don't see the seeds against the black charcoal drawing, but when you get up close the individual papery seeds become visible. I'm interested in the ways that nature is creeping back into the abandoned consumer domains of the Gosford CBD, in these tiny and easily overlooked lighter-than-a-feather seeds.

Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, 210x90x8cm

Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, (detail view)

Kath Fries, Gosford Artists-in-residence studio, 2012

Kath Fries, Wind dispersal, 2012,
Yellow trumpet seeds and charcoal on wall, (detail view)

The Gosford Artists Residency is organised by Gosford Regional Gallery and the Imperial Arcade. Artists: Wendy Abel Campbell, Kath Fries, Kylie Rose McLean and Janet Meaney. Visitors are welcome 10am to 3pm Monday to Friday 18-29 June and our resulting work will be exhibited at Gosford Regional Gallery from 21 July to 16 September. www.gosfordregionalgallery.com

2012 Gosford Residency Studio - work in progress

Nature is stealthily creeping back into the abandoned consumer domains of Gosford CBD, in the small and easily overlooked forms of insects and weeds. A recurring theme in my work is our human relationships with nature and aversion to things that are naturally difficult for us to control. A colony of Saunders Case Moths have taken up residence on the abandoned Town Centre shopping arcade, around the corner from our artists-studio/workshop/empty-shop. These fascinating little creatures and their intricate chrysalises have promoted me to explore incubation and germination in my sculptures and installations for the Gosford Artists Residency.

Kath Fries, Chrysalises - work in progress, 2012
single use light bulbs, seed pods and stockings.

Kath Fries, Chrysalises - work in progress, 2012
single use light bulb, seed pod and stocking.

One of the other artists with whom I'm sharing the residency-studio/performance-lab/ workshop/empty-shop, Wendy Able Campbell, is printing postcards. She's using small, single use, yellow light bulbs in her exposure/printing press and kindly donating them post exposure to my "found object" collection. The fragile cracked globes look like magical fragile speckled eggs. I'm gently suspended them within seed pods, twigs and laddered nylon stockings to form incubating sacks.

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - single use light bulbs - found objects,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - work in progress,
Gosford 20 June 2012

Kath Fries, Chrysalises - work in progress, 2012
tree branches, fungi and stocking.

Amongst the found objects and natural materials that I've been collecting in the local area are Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pods. The pods pop open when they mature and dry out, then masses of little seeds - like tiny UFOs - are released onto the wind. I've been playing with possible ways of representing this gentle onslaught of weeds and germinating seeds in a vertical wall installation.

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - pinned Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds - work in progress,
Gosford 20 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - Yellow Trumpet Bush seeds and pods - found materials,
Gosford 20 June 2012

2012 Gosford Artists Residency - studio update

Our studio/workshop/performance-lab/empty-shop has now been going for a couple of days in the Imperial Arcade, Mann St, Gosford. I'm in one corner of the space; sharing with three other artists, Wendy Abel Campbell, Kylie Rose McLean and Janet Meaney. We're each working on our own site-responsive projects and enjoying the company, visitors and conversation of this pop-up creative space.

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - work in progress,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - floor frottage pinned to the wall,
Gosford 19 June 2012

The paint on the floor is peeling off to expose the swirling patterns of the concrete beneath. I wanted to capture these textures and sense of history under our feet, so I made a 500cm long charcoal rubbing (frottage) of the sections of the floor and pinned it to my wall.

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - frottage and weeds, work in progress
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - frottage and weeds, work in progress,
Gosford 19 June 2012

There's a few derelict spaces and vacant buildings in the surrounding neighbourhood. Nature is gradually creeping back in to these abandoned consumer domains. I'm interested in our human relationships with nature and aversion to things that are naturally difficult for us to control like insects and weeds. During my site research - strolling around the area - I've taken many photos and collected materials. It's always a funny experience dragging these found objects back into the Imperial Arcade, a busy shopping centre in stark contrast to these nearby sites. So far I've collected dried weeds taller than me, seeds and pods ready to spread their species in the wind, twigs with ridges of fungi and a segment of an old wasps nest (minus the wasps).

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - weeds taller than me, work in progress,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - weeds taller than me, work in progress,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - found object, wasps nest and bed of weeds,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - wasps nest and bed of weeds,
Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Imperial Arcade Studio - poster in window,
Gosford 19 June 2012

2012 Gosford - town centre chrysalises

There are many abandoned shops and buildings in Gosford CBD. The "Town Centre" shopping centre is especially prominent - but its locked up and empty of people. If you look closely on the outside of the Town Centre's cylindrical tower, you can see numerous chrysalises belonging to native Saunders Case Moths, Metura elongates.

Kath Fries, Case Moth Chrysalises,
site research photograph, Gosford 19 June 2012

Arthur Bartholomew, Saunders Case Moth illustration,
www.museumvictoria.com.au

Quietly, subtly and subversively nature is reclaiming space and territory. Amongst the apparently uninhabited human structures lifeforms continue to grow, incubate and survive.

Kath Fries, Town Centre dust traces,
site research photograph, Gosford 19 June 2012

Kath Fries, Layered reflections in Town Centre window,
site research photograph, Gosford 19 June 2012

Much that interests me and inspires my practice is that which is often overlooked; common and everyday, or too discrete to notice. But when re-examined and re-interpreted in a different context offer insights and narratives that expand belong their simple exteriors.

Kath Fries, Weeds and buildings, site research photograph,
Gosford 19 June 2012

2012 Gosford Artists Residency - Imperial Arcade

The Gosford Artists Residency will take place from 18 June to 29 June 2012 in Shop 153/154, Level 1, Imperial Shopping Centre, 171 Mann Street, Gosford. An exhibition of selected work will be shown at Gosford Regional Gallery from 21 July to 16 September 2012. www.gosfordregionalgallery.com