42days 42boats 42installations
42days 42boats 42installations
Beatrice Magalotti
42days 42boats 42installations This project is my response to the COVID19 Stage 4 lockdown in Melbourne, originally announced for 42 days in August 2020. Melbournians were limited to travel within a 5km radius and only allowed to leave home for four reasons: one hour of exercise; shopping for essential items; authorised study or work; and care or caregiving. An 8pm to 5 am curfew was also imposed. This self-directed project focused my time and energy and helped me to remain productive during the lockdown. I created 42 ceramic boats - one for each day of the lockdown. After stage four restrictions relaxed I was also able to photograph the boats outside the 5km radius from my home. I photographed them in different environments and shared them across the globe digitally on Instagram. I couldn’t leave Australia, but my boats could. Movement was restricted but not imagination. I contacted a number of artists and asked if they would be interested in collaborating with me by photographing the boats in new locations. With their help these little ceramic boats made it out of Victoria and travelled across the world, connecting us in solidarity against a pandemic at its height. They were photographed in new environments in Western Australia and across Europe and America.
It is important to me that art is enjoyable, and so I gave very few instructions, encouraging my collaborators to play with the project. This took courage and trust, but their subtly differing perspectives on the theme ultimately produced more diverse work. Not all of the nine women I collaborated with for the interstate and international element of this project identify as visual artists. Among them are an architect, a curator and an engineer. Together we made art as these women brought their own experiences and creativity to the work. By using social media to exhibit these images, I’ve been able to reach audiences that might not have attended a physical exhibition. These audiences have been able to engage with the project over several months, following the boats as they left Melbourne, Victoria and, finally, Australia. Many of the locations used in the installations are recognisable environments, providing a sense of familiarity, connection and inclusion in the work. Like the crude and fragile stitches on the sides of each boat, the pandemic has forced many of us to patch, mend, and forge new paths. For artists like myself, that meant rethinking our practice, being innovative in our methods and finding new ways to engage with our audiences.
By doing part of this project as a durational and digital work, I was able to continue exploring travel and migration through a global pandemic. I have compiled a number of the images into this book and intend to physically exhibit the ceramic boats, book and photographs together.
Beatrice Magalotti 2022
Fairfield Amphitheatre, Melbourne, Australia
Wilson's Promontory, Australia
Missouri, USA
Pickle Springs, Genevieve, USA
Galway, Ireland
Cleggan Pier, Galway, Ireland
Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Ireland
Kylemore Abbey, Galway, Ireland
San Marcos, USA
San Diego USA
Niels Bjerre, ' Insektmenneske', Hollufgård Sculpture Park, Odense, Denmark
Freja Niemann Lundru, 'Spiralgenese', Hollufgård Sculpture Park, Odense, Denmark
Königsweg Bridge, Dreilinden, Germany
Königsweg Bridge, Dreilinden, Germany
Scripp Aquarium San Diego, USA
Wilson's Promontory, Australia
British Museum, London, UK
The Lion of Knidos, British Museum, London, UK
Wedgwood Factory, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Spode Factory, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Pickle Springs, Genevieve, USA
Point Lonsdale, Australia
Odense, Denmark
MS Spirit of France, English Channel
Airspace
Berlin, Germany
Begitte Andersen & Marie Retpen, 'The Greenhouse, Hollufgård Sculpture Park, Odense,Denmark
Begitte Andersen & Marie Retpen, 'The Greenhouse, Hollufgård Sculpture Park, Odense,Denmark
Alphington, Australia
Odense, Denmark
Köln Train Station, Germany
Train-Travelling to Poland
Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, Köln, Germany
Calder Terrace, Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Copenhagen, Denmark
Telfer Mine,WA, Australia
Trafalgar Square, London, UK
Judy Chicago, 'Through the Flower 2', de Young Museum, San Francisico, USA
Clare Twomey, 'Monument', Paris Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France
Paris, France
Raoul Dufy, 'Electricity Fairy', Paris Museum of Modern Art, Paris, France
Naminapu Maymuru-White, 'Riŋgitmi gapu', NGV, Melbourne, Australia
Squeaky Beach,Wilson's Promontory, Australia
Rye Beach, Australia
London Embankment, UK
Alibi Hostel, Former Prison, Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Delphi, Galway, Ireland
Wilson's Promontory, Australia
Squeaky Beach, Wilson's Promontory, Australia
Lawrence Noble, 'Yoda', Imagination Park, San Anselmo, USA
Diamond Bay, Australia
42days 42boats 42installations I am always looking for ways to collaborate with other women and encourage participation in the visual arts. My deepest thanks to all the women who helped in putting this project together. Amy Caterina @amy_caterina Audra Hubbell @audhubs Begitte Andersen @begittelyngeandersen Helen Foster Kathryn McKenzie @katbemck Marguerite Elliot @marguerite101 Meghan Clark Miriam Donohue @miriam_donohue_music Sarah McKenzie Sharyn Madder Wendy Gers @wendygers 42days 42boats 42 installations ©Beatrice Magalotti 2022 www.beatricemagalotti.com @beatricemagalottiart Design: Beatrice Magalotti & Amy Caterina @a_plus_b_projects This book is a special limited edition. Signed and numbered by the artist.
Image on back cover, Bay Bridge, San Francisico, USA