It’s always fascinating to understand the decision making process that the Sculpture by the Sea judges employ to arrive at their final choices. Dr Michael Hill has kindly opened up and given us an insight into what swayed him, and the other judges, towards this year’s WA Sculptor Scholarship co-winners Norton Flavel for ‘Lucky Country’ and Kim Perrier for ‘Ashes to Ashes’.
“Norton Flavel’s work is a dazzling example of steel sculpture, where the ball – which surely weighs in excess of 100 kg and was made via an innovative use of explosives – appears to float in the air. In reality, it is counter-weighted by the massive rusted steel collar on the ground, while the loose chain-links have been rigidified and bear the tension of the asymmetrical composition. An ode to Australia, the work conveys liberation via the spectacle of form overcoming its weighty condition.”
Norton Flavel, lucky country, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2015. Photo Jarrad Seng.
“Kim Perrier’s is a dense and mysterious piece that evokes death and the migration of souls. Technically, it is a tour de force, seeming to be made entirely of timber and charcoal, when in fact a more contrived fabrication is at work.”
Kim Perrier, ashes to ashes, Sculpture by the Sea, Cottesloe 2015. Photo Clyde Yee.
“Together the two winners of the WA Sculptor’s scholarship are a contrast in approaches: whereas Flavel’s sculpture is shiny and open, Perrier’s is dusky and closed. What both sculptor’s share is a consummate understanding of the expressive transformation of materials.” – Dr Michael Hill, Head of Art History & Theory, National Art School
Congratulations again to both recipients!