Diatom No.13
2010 - Winner
Artist: WILSON, Shona | Medium: Twigs, Seedpods, Branchlets and Plastic | Size: 65 x 65cm | Date completed: 2009
Artist Statement
Shona Wilson from Smiths Lake, New South Wales, was crowned the winner of the national 3D art prize for her piece entitled Diatom No.13.
A delicate and detailed work made from twigs, seed pods and plastic, Diatom No.13 conveys the infinite possibilities of cross-pollinating humanity with nature.
Ms Wilson explains the inspiration behind her eco-conscious artwork: “Diatoms are a sub group of planktons - the most abundant life form and food source in our oceans. Recent research has revealed plastic has infiltrated planktons. This is a marker for human’s far-reaching interruption into the natural order.” “This work exposes and questions how we affect and morph the natural world at its ‘unseen’ levels,” said Ms Wilson.
Judge's Statement
The competition was judged against a broad and inclusive list of criteria in an effort to determine those most worthy of encouragement. Originality is always sought in any collection of creative work. To this end the topic in question and how it fits with contemporary global and local issues is important. There are several works in the collection, which pick up on issues of place and environmental conservation while others make statements about who we are and where we have come from.
While some works are steeped in traditional art and craft methods others are translating these processes with new or foreign materials and exploring the outcomes. How the work visually comes together in response to the theme is also important and this has been achieved more successfully in some work than in others. The chief motivation as I understand it, is to encourage further personal growth in the artist through supporting a platform for further learning. To this end what was being proposed by the artist in the context of their ongoing development was paramount. How the work could grow as a result of the proposed exposure, and how it in turn could inform encourage and entertain others.
Willson in her micro macro compositions invites us to think more deeply about that which we perhaps have taken for granted, to think about the changing face of the environment and the unexplored hidden beauty that waits to be revealed. The proposed cross-disciplinary collaboration is also commendable and will no doubt lead to a deeper and even more meaningful understanding and interpretation by the artists of her subject matter.
While the puppet in its many forms has been a platform for story telling in world cultures for centuries, the approach taken by Leech is fresh and appealing. The puppets and their ‘Mack truck’ personalities tend suggests a sense of fun while at the same time communicate the power of the beast on our roads today. Undoubdtly the ‘altered ego’ that the artist speaks about will present itself in many forms in future work.
I wish the artist every success in her future investigations in to this art form.I would also like to express my congratulations to the participants in the schools and tertiary section. I was very impressed with the work and its message and would like to wish them every success in their journeys into the creative arts.
S.M. Di Mauro
