Go behind-the-scenes with Patricia Piccinini in her Melbourne studio

Summary

The video script delves into the intersection of the artificial and natural, exploring the relationship between humans, technology, and the environment. It discusses the creation of an 'alternative world' that blends the cultural with the organic, featuring contemporary fables and a balance of aesthetic and narrative. The artist collaborates with Patricia, developing ideas through drawing, sculpture, and installation, aiming to provoke thought and empathy. The work is influenced by surrealism and social realism, reflecting on the impact of science and technology on society. The exhibition invites viewers to engage with the artist's dreamlike landscape, challenging perceptions of separation and encouraging connection and empathy.

Takeaways

• 🌿 The artist's work explores the intersection of the artificial and natural, focusing on relationships between humans and the environment, and among beings.
• 🎨 The artist has been collaborating with Patricia for several years to create an alternative world that blends the cultural and natural, technological and organic.
• 🤔 The artwork often poses big questions and aims to make viewers contemplate what it means to be alive, reflecting on the balance and relationship with the world around us.
• 👩‍🎨 The creative process involves starting with drawings and evolving ideas into various forms such as sculptures, videos, or installations, depending on the best medium for expression.
• 🤝 The artist and Patricia have complementary skills, with the artist focusing on the practical and technical aspects, while Patricia brings theoretical and big-picture insights.
• 🌱 The studio, Drom, serves as a platform for the artists to realize their visions, evolving from outsourcing to an in-house team of skilled collaborators.
• 🎭 The artist is influenced by surrealism and 19th-century social realism, appreciating the attempts to represent social reality during times of change and the emotional depth of these movements.
• 🧪 The work often engages with scientific themes, exploring the ethical and moral implications of advancements in fields like stem-cell research and genetic engineering.
• 🌼 The artist is creating a dream-like landscape for an exhibition, featuring a field of 3,000 transgenic flowers, each with organs, representing a fusion of nature and technology.
• 🔍 The artist invites viewers to look beyond the strangeness of their creatures to find empathy and connections, challenging the barriers that separate different forms of life.

Q & A

What is the main theme of the artist's work?

The main theme of the artist's work revolves around the relationship between the artificial and the natural, humans and the environment, and beings within families and strangers. It explores a symbolic representation of a place where technology has become so natural that it takes on a life of its own.

How long has the artist been working with Patricia on this project?

The artist has been working with Patricia for at least three or four years on this project.

What is the significance of the expression on the artwork featuring the artist?

The expression on the artwork is significant as it conveys a meaning and a story within a narrative, while also possessing an aesthetic sensibility.

What does the artist mean by 'contemporary fables'?

By 'contemporary fables,' the artist refers to stories that are imaginative, engaging, and often contain big questions or lessons, potentially making us realize what it is to be alive.

How does the artist's role differ from that of the studio team?

The artist's role is to look after the idea and ensure the final artwork stays true to the vision that animates it, while the studio team assists in transforming the idea into a physical form.

What is the significance of the balance in the artwork featuring the elegant plant body?

The balance in the artwork symbolizes the relationship between beings and everything that has evolved around us, suggesting a connection and interaction with the world.

How does the artist's work relate to art history?

The artist is drawn to surrealism and 19th-century social realism, both of which are movements that attempt to represent social reality during times of dramatic change.

What is the process of creating the artwork like from conception to completion?

The process involves conception through thinking and drawing, followed by collaboration with the studio team to transform the idea into a physical form, which may include雕塑, video, or installation.

Why is the hair-plugging process so crucial in the artwork's final stage?

The hair-plugging process is crucial as it brings a sense of life to the artwork, with curls and patterns that mimic the natural look on the body, enhancing the realism and emotional connection of the piece.

How does the artist use science in their work?

The artist uses science as a dominant language to explain the world and explore the edge of scientific possibilities, often incorporating themes of technology, genetics, and the moral implications of scientific advancements.

What is the purpose of the exhibition featuring the artist's work?

The purpose of the exhibition is to invite viewers into a dream landscape filled with creatures, promoting connection, empathy, and a reflection on the barriers that separate us.

Outlines

00:00

🌿 Exploring the Interplay of Art and Nature

The speaker discusses their fascination with the relationship between the artificial and natural, humans and the environment, and the dynamics within families and among strangers. They describe creating an alternative world that intersects with reality, where technology and nature blend seamlessly. This 'wilderness' symbolizes a place where technology is so integrated it appears organic. The speaker has collaborated with Patricia for several years on a project that explores these themes, aiming to create contemporary fables that provoke thought about what it means to be alive. The artwork is meant to balance aesthetic sensibility with narrative depth, often featuring a sense of balance and interconnection with the evolved world around us.

05:04

🎨 The Creative Process and Artistic Evolution

The speaker and Patricia have been working together, evolving their creative process from initial ideas to finished art pieces. They discuss the importance of not being constrained by traditional methods like mold making, which allows for a more innovative approach to problem-solving. The studio, Drom, serves as a platform for their creative endeavors, fostering a familial atmosphere with long-term collaborators. The speaker draws inspiration from surrealism and 19th-century social realism, appreciating their attempts to represent social reality during times of change. Patricia's work is highlighted for its visual impact and the way it invites viewers to look beyond its strangeness to find deeper connections and empathy. The upcoming exhibition is described as an immersive dream landscape filled with creatures and new works that challenge and engage the audience.

10:06

🤖 The Intersection of Art and Science

The speaker delves into the role of science in their artistic practice, viewing it as the modern language for explaining the world. They discuss the ethical and moral questions surrounding scientific advancements, such as stem-cell research and IVF, which Patricia's work often explores. The artist's mission is to examine how science transforms our world and provokes various responses. The speaker emphasizes the importance of the viewer's relationship with the artwork, which often involves a sense of connection and empathy. The process of creating the art, including mold making, coloring, and hair styling, is described as intricate and collaborative, with each step being crucial to the final outcome.

15:08

🌼 The Final Touch: Hair and the Life It Brings

In the final paragraph, the focus shifts to the importance of the final touches in the art creation process, particularly hair. The speaker describes the meticulous process of hair styling and its significance in bringing the sculptures to life. The hair not only adds a sense of realism but also contributes to the emotional impact of the artwork. The speaker reflects on the interconnectedness of all elements in their work, where even the most abstract pieces maintain a connection with the viewer. The exhibition is portrayed as a place where boundaries blur, and the audience is encouraged to question traditional separations and embrace connection and empathy.

Keywords

💡Relationship

In the context of the video, 'relationship' refers to the various connections and interactions that exist between different entities such as humans, nature, technology, and the environment. The artist explores how these relationships evolve and overlap, particularly in a world where technology and nature are increasingly intertwined. For example, the script mentions 'the relationship between the artificial and the natural,' highlighting the artist's interest in the fusion of these traditionally separate domains.

💡Alternative World

The 'alternative world' mentioned in the script represents a space that exists just beyond the real world, where the artist imagines and creates scenarios that blend the cultural, natural, technological, and organic. This concept is central to the artist's work, as they aim to create a symbolic representation of a place where technology has become so natural that it takes on a life of its own, as seen in the description of the 'wilderness' as a place of such intermingling.

💡Contemporary Fables

The term 'contemporary fables' is used to describe the artist's work, which tells stories that are both imaginative and engaging, often containing big questions or lessons about what it means to be alive. These fables are a modern take on traditional storytelling, using the artist's creations to explore and reflect on the human condition in the context of today's world. The script refers to the artist's work as 'constructing contemporary fables' that embody innocence and provoke thought.

💡Balance

In the video, 'balance' is a recurring theme that reflects the delicate equilibrium between different elements in the artist's creations. It symbolizes the harmony and interdependence between beings and their environment. The artist's work often features creatures or objects in states of balance, suggesting a commentary on the need for equilibrium in our own world. The script describes a piece where 'this beautiful elegant plant body is not quite straight but it's a balancing,' illustrating this concept.

💡Surrealism

Surrealism is an art movement that the artist is drawn to, as mentioned in the script. It is characterized by the juxtaposition of unexpected elements and the exploration of the subconscious mind. The artist's work, while not explicitly surrealist, shares the movement's interest in blurring the lines between reality and fantasy, as well as its use of humor, emotion, and strangeness. The script connects the artist's fascination with surrealism to their approach to representing social reality in a time of change.

💡Evolution

The concept of 'evolution' is central to the video's narrative, as it discusses the transformation of technology and its integration into the natural world. The artist's work often features creatures that represent the evolution of technology, suggesting a future where the boundaries between the organic and the artificial are blurred. The script mentions the artist's fascination with how technology has become 'so natural that it takes on a life of its own,' reflecting on the evolutionary nature of our relationship with technology.

💡Empathy

Empathy is a key theme in the artist's work, as it encourages viewers to connect with the creatures and scenarios presented, looking beyond their strangeness to recognize shared experiences and emotions. The artist aims to evoke empathy through their creations, which are often designed to be more vulnerable than threatening. The script describes how the creatures 'literally appeal to the audience's empathy,' asking viewers to 'look beyond their strangeness and see the connections.'

💡Intermingling

The term 'intermingling' is used to describe the blending of different elements in the artist's work, such as animals, plants, machines, and humans. This concept challenges the viewer to question traditional boundaries and categories, suggesting a world where distinctions between these entities are less clear. The script discusses a 'world where things mix and intermingle,' inviting the audience to reconsider the separations they might take for granted.

💡Transgenic

Transgenic refers to an organism that has had its genetic material altered using genetic engineering techniques. In the video, the artist mentions creating '3,000 flowers that grow organs,' which suggests a transgenic approach to art. This concept is used to explore the ethical and aesthetic implications of scientific advancements, particularly in the field of biotechnology. The script's mention of 'wild transgenic flowers' illustrates the artist's interest in pushing the boundaries of what is considered natural.

💡Stem-Cell Debates

Stem-cell debates are mentioned in the context of scientific and ethical discussions around the use of embryonic stem cells for medical research and treatment. The artist's work engages with these debates, reflecting on the moral and social implications of scientific progress. The script refers to the controversy around stem-cell research and IVF, indicating the artist's interest in the ethical dimensions of technology and its impact on our understanding of life and humanity.

💡Intrinsic Coloring

Intrinsic coloring is a technique used by the artist to create lifelike skin tones and textures in their sculptures. It involves painting within the mold and using layers of color to emulate the transparency and depth of human skin. This technique is crucial for giving the artist's creations a realistic appearance, as mentioned in the script where the artist discusses the process of 'building up a paint job within the mold' to achieve a lifelike effect.

Highlights

Exploration of the intersection between artificial and natural, humans and environment, and beings within families and strangers.

Creation of an alternative world that exists just beyond the real world, blending the cultural and the natural, the technological and the organic.

Artistic expression through contemporary fables that provoke thought about innocence and what it means to be alive.

The importance of balance and the relationship between beings, reflecting on our connection to everything that has evolved around us.

The collaborative process between the artist and Patricia, working together for years to develop a unique artistic vision.

The significance of aesthetic sensibility in addition to narrative and meaning in the artwork.

The evolution of artistic expression from traditional painting and drawing to incorporating sculpture, video, and installation.

The role of the artist in overseeing the transformation of an idea into a physical artwork, ensuring it stays true to its original vision.

The use of a studio of people to bring artistic ideas to life, highlighting the importance of collaboration in the creative process.

Influences from surrealism and 19th-century social realism in the artist's work, reflecting social reality during times of dramatic change.

The artist's approach to creating work that is not dogmatic, inviting a variety of responses and provoking empathy from the audience.

The process of creating molds and the importance of design in the production of sculptures.

The challenge of working with complex forms and the collaboration required to solve problems in sculpture production.

The development of a specific technique for intrinsic coloring within the mold, emulating the transparency of skin.

The artist's interest in science as a dominant language for explaining the world and the exploration of the ethical implications of scientific advancements.

The use of hair in the artwork to bring a sense of life and authenticity to the sculptures, reflecting the patterns of the human body.

The concept of connection and empathy at the heart of the artist's practice, challenging the barriers that separate us.

The exhibition as an invitation into the artist's dream landscape, bringing together a collection of creatures and new works.

Transcripts

I'm interested in relationships the

relationship between the artificial and

the natural between humans and the

environment the relationship between

beings within families and between

strangers over the years I have built up

a sort of alternative world that exists

just beyond the real world that we live

in it's strange but it's familiar at the

same time it exists as moments objects

and images that overlap with the real

world in a world where the cultural and

the natural the technological and the

organic are evermore intermingled this

wilderness is my symbolic representation

of a place where technology has become

so natural that it takes on a life of

its own

I've been working with Patricia for at

least three or four years on this

project it's been something that the

gallery has been talking about for a

long time the moment seems right at this

point I like the expression on this one

as well it's me it's quite important

that these words have a meaning and a

story in a narrative but they also have

these aesthetic sensibility to see this

beautiful cascading hair she's

constructing I would say contemporary

fables innocence that was the beginning

of the work tables are really intriguing

stories they're really imaginative

they're really engaging but they often

have the big questions often have some

lessons potentially if they make us

realize what it is to be alive it's not

every artist that can do that and the

other part of this work is the sense of

balance this beautiful elegant plant

body is not quite straight but it's a

balancing and we wonder what's he doing

and we realized that they have a

relationship like we have a relationship

to everything that's evolved around us

he's probably got some rolling in the

way this this creature reproduces itself

she's always looking out to the world

she's always finding your inspiration

and sometimes it can be hard to keep up

but the new work I really like

[Music]

my work is about ideas and it starts

with thinking and drawing I realized

pretty early on that I wasn't going to

be able to do everything I wanted to do

with painting and drawing I started to

look for another way to work I've

assembled this amazing studio of people

I start with drawing and as I develop

the idea I start to think about how it

might be best expressed sometimes it

stays the drawing but often I might feel

a sculpture or a video or an

installation would work better I then

work with the studio to transform the

idea into a thing my role is to look

after the idea to make sure the final

artwork stays true to the vision that

animates it it's impaired like having a

child there is conception and then

there's the birth and in between there's

a lot of amazing stuff that goes on that

people don't see this form is an

opportunity for you to see that

[Music]

so that's quite lovely I love his little

head I think this one's really working

I'm very excited about this one yeah I

love it I really love this skin tone

this kind of contrast because both the

skin tones on their own look very

realistic and when you put them together

you see this amazing kind of contrast

between the two Patricia and I met in a

share house in Newtown in the late 1980s

I guess one of the things that makes our

relationship work is that we're both

good at very different things

I bring that practical technical sort of

side to things whereas she's very much

the theoretical thoughtful big-picture

kind of um kind of person make the

sharper that one yeah let's do that I

come to us looking at ideas and then we

walk on them from their version and then

it can evolve yep into into something

like that yeah so this is the very basic

just throwing forms together we pose it

in this way that it looks it looks like

it's got feeling it really evolves here

doesn't know they said I think one of

the things about the way Patricia and

Dennis work is they aren't thinking

about making molds no and maybe if you

are more well-versed oh you're thinking

more about mold making you just wouldn't

go there you just go oh that's got to be

such a pain

whereas Patricia of Dennis they go there

and then and so it sort of means that

yeah yeah we aren't actually constrained

by what's gonna be easy to make but also

the thing of working this way means we

can I've got a lot of options in terms

of how we can solve problems as well

[Music]

drom is the studio that patricia and i

found it when we left university it's

very much about providing us with the

platform to build the works that we want

to make we used to go completely out of

house for the production of the

sculptures for example but over the

years we've pulled in an amazing sort of

team of people that we can work with

here

it's very familial we work with the same

people for forever really as much as we

can in terms of art history I'm drawn to

surrealism and 19th century social

realism they're very different but for

me both of these movements are attempts

to represent social reality at a time of

dramatic change the Surrealists engaged

with the cutting edge of technologies of

photography and psychoanalysis in a way

that went beyond reproducing the

objective appearance of reality

and tried to get to it's subjective core

and I love the humour and emotion and

strangeness of all the work

what I like about Patricia's work is

that it's it's not it might seem obvious

in that it has this great visual impact

but you never sure what exactly the

comment or the message is and that's

what I love about her work its

strangeness but also its refusal to be

dogmatic about things and often it's a

matter of asking yourself why you

respond to work in a certain way there's

a lot of beauty in her work and there's

even beauty in some of the grotesque

works that I also have been very

repelled by the work and it's meant to

provoke all those variety of responses

but I think people respond to her work

because there's a lot of empathy in her

when you put eyes in there become yeah

they sort of tip over into it

where's these are much more

technology-based creatures yep yeah

they're not they don't have if I what's

going to be very important about this go

in the show Patricia described it to me

as inviting people into her dream

landscape and it will be because she's

made so many creatures and they're all

being brought together as well as new

works that are going to be spectacular

destined close to finish on on that wand

finishing this and then working out what

where the tits on that she's creating

3,000 flowers that grow organs

it's going to be this field of these

wild transgenic flowers 3,000 of them I

love the sound of the field the grotto

the eerie the diorama she is creating a

whole world of experience perience and

the word creatures comes from Middle

English it means literally something

created my creatures are just that

they're imaginary beings that are almost

possible they're not always

traditionally beautiful but they always

have beauty and an honesty within them

they're more vulnerable than threatening

people sometimes find their strangeness

of putting it first but they usually

learn to see past this the creatures

literally appeal to the audience's

empathy they entreat the viewer to look

beyond their strangeness and see the

connections the model is a really key

part of making the work and if the mold

doesn't work the rest of production is

just a nightmare

so often will consult with Fiona very

early on in the process to sort of

really design the mold and in fact

sometimes we'll work backwards and

forwards between the sculptor and the

mole making just to sort of get a an

object that can be molded so it's a

really kind of complicated process that

involves a lot of collaboration

now how many pieces were there in that

time involved for the mother it was like

sixteen to seventeen pieces but that's

like any head baby heads and hands and

so that like it really can't

underestimate just how kind of complex

these jobs are and every way that the

bodies interact have you know have any

impact on where you've got to put these

seams and where you kind of make this

part so that you can pull the whole

thing apart or even just get into a turn

to be able to fill it with with the

product so that you get the cast out

it's

so my role involves intrinsic coloring

it's something that's used by a lot of

different artists and technicians but

it's something that we've developed a

specific technique for the work that

Patricia does what it involves is

building up a paint job within the mold

using silicon and using a lot of

different transparent layers of color to

emulate the transparency within the skin

I get brushes with all different kind of

pinks and greens and rawr birds and I

paint them inside a silicon mold

internally and then we back it up with

different transparencies of silicon and

then pour the cast and then I do the

airbrushing where I kind of airbrush on

veins and freckles and then kind of

build build up the skin tone on the

surface and giving it like a stun

damaged frankly I'm interested in

telling stories about the world we live

in and that's why I'm interested in

science because science is the dominant

language used to explain the world to us

in the past it was religion myth but now

it's science that explains how the world

works and also becomes the expression

for how we want the world to be or how

we might fear it will end up at the very

edge of science we end up talking about

how the world might be

and that's a wonderful place for an

artist to explore I encountered

Patricia's work and around the time I

was writing my book there was

extraordinary amount of controversy

around the stem-cell debates because of

IVF when a woman would go to the IVF

clinic she would typically have maybe

ten of her eggs fertilized but often

there were five fertilized embryos or a

certain number left over so the debate

in Australia at that time was but

instead of throwing out those embryos we

can use them to make these embryonic

stem cells which could then be used to

generate this raw material for perhaps a

new pancreas or or whatever tissue a

patient needs to be radiation resistant

to be cancer resistant all of that we

will know how to do so what is the

appropriate moral response there so

these are questions we have to examine

it and that's Patricia's mission she's

never been a dystopian she takes that

Sciences are given and that the way

science transforms the world we live in

is a given and she's compelled to

explore this

so I think the bottom is holding my work

is never about one thing alone it's

always about a family or an ecosystem

even when a creature is alone there's a

relationship with the viewer back easy

I am the harvester if I have just help

us I'd take men up my attic and that's

where I do the job there's the chest

then we will do some chesty hair armpits

so and if it's an abstract if it's more

abstract than Patricia's drawn pictures

and that's when we have to discuss the

style of hair plugging that colors of

hair how it has to represent itself it's

the last part of the process and really

without this it just wouldn't be

finished in any way and in fact it's so

important the hair get brings so much to

the work it gives us a sense of life and

they're all curling in just you know

like like they do on the body

yeah that's quite incredible things like

that that drives me crazy you know if

they're not cooling in or they're out of

patterns that the body has these

incredible patents don't isn't it

[Music]

this is a world where things mix and

intermingle where nothing stays put in

its place it's a world where animals

plants machines and humans unite and

commingle we have to ask ourselves if

it's so hard to figure out where one

thing starts and our other ends

can we really then continue to believe

in the barriers that separate us

connection and empathy are at the heart

of my practice and at the heart of this

exhibition

many of the works are beings of one sort

of another they're creatures

and I think one of the things that the

work does is that it holds you in an

emotion it gives you the space to feel

it but it doesn't judge you and it's

also saying but they are the subjects

sure they're sculptures but they're not

so objectified they let you know that

you're looking at them and often they

look back at you

[Music]

you