Image: Robbie Rowlands Stem 2013. Photograph by Silversalt Photography.
25 January 2013 to 31 March 2013
Working site specifically, Robbie Rowlands creates sculptural pieces that are guided by a strong sense of intuition. Reclaiming found objects, his work is often informed by his immediate surrounds and the available resources. Rather than enter a space with a predetermined narrative, Rowlands spends time allowing the story to organically unfold.
The major work in this installation for Hazelhurst is Stem, a cluster of street poles and signs welded together to form a large, thorny rose-like stem. Following our trip from Kurnell to the depot, Rowlands embarked on a journey to drive around the Sutherland Shire and nominate old street signs he could reclaim, and the council could subsequently replace and upgrade. Amidst the Hazelhurst gardens, a seemingly unlikely location to find street signs, Stem makes visible that which has become invisible to many; through each meticulous incision and manipulation Rowlands forces us to stop, pause, register and reassess the object placed before us.
Artworks courtesy of Arc One Gallery.