Detritus: Exhibition

DETRITUS

7 MARCH – 7 APRIL 2013

Helen Bodycomb PUBLIC INN Cnr Mostyn & Barker Streets, Castlemaine and RE-PUBLIC 26 Templeton Street, Castlemaine

DETRITUS is an exhibition about the redundancy of items in nature and in culture. It follows the theme of Memento mori (remember you are going to die), which was widely celebrated in Roman mosaics and across many cultures since.

Artist Helen Bodycomb regards DETRITUS as commemorating the ephemeral beauty of life, not the horror of its loss.

Memento Mori Naples Archaeological Museum, Italy, Pompeii, Middle of the first century AD

‘Constituting the emblema of the flooring in a triclinium, this mosaic, with its naturalistic depiction of a skull and the tools of a mason, expresses allegorically the transience of life and the impending nature of death. It is the libella, the level, from which hangs the plumb-line – the instrument that serves to control the levelling of a construction – that symbolises all equality: from its ends hang in perfect equilibrium the symbols of power (the sceptre and the royal purple) and on the right, the sack and the stick, symbols of poverty. The skull – with a line of darker tesserae outlining the sutures of the cranium – and the level – an instrument that we known only through depictions from the Roman period, shown here with clearly illustrated bronze elements and its wooden structure – underline the intent to depict them with precision.’

MUSEO GALILEO, ITALY

PUBLIC INN NEST 2012 local slate (quarried by the artist), venetian glass smalti and marble, cementitious adhesive on aluminium honeycomb panel $5,000 ATTITUDE (sulphur crested cockatoo crest feather) 2013 assorted mosaic glass, silicon on VC valiant rear window $3,000 JESTER (magpie skull) 2012 venetian and mexican glass smalti, marble, silicon on Datsun 200B rear side window $2,200 JANE DOE (bird skeleton of unknown type) 2013 venetian and mexican glass smalti, marble, silicon on car rear window of unknown make and model $3,000 DIGITAL FLOCK (pixelated images of birds from the artist’s garden in Vaughan) 2012-2013 venetian and mexican glass smalti, marble, silicon on framed glass from the estate of Mr Alan Canning Superb Fairy wren $600 Spotted Pardalote $600 Yellow-tufted Honeyeater $600 New Holland Honeyeater $600 Red-browed finch $800

RE-PUBLIC SKIN 2013 stainless steel, silicon on honda civic rear side window $1500 TROPHY 2012 venetian and mexican glass smalti, marble, silicon, flock, pigment on framed glass from the estate of Mr Alan Canning $800

HELEN BODYCOMB WILL GIVE 2 FREE ARTISTS TALKS AT PUBLIC INN; BOOKING IS NOT REQUIRED. Wednesday 20 March 3pm Friday 22 March 3pm

About the Artist Helen Bodycomb is a full time artist, highly regarded internationally as a specialist in the contemporary practice of the ancient medium of mosaic. She predominantly works on commissioned sculptural and fine mosaic artworks for clients from the public sector and for private collections. Helen is currently completing a new sculpture commissioned by The City of Melbourne for ArtPlay. FUTURESCAPE will be installed at Birrarung Marr, in the centre of Melbourne, in June 2013.

Following her current exhibition DETRITUS, Helen is looking forward to commencing a new body of un-commissioned works on transparent glass, featuring the wing scale patterns of locally indigenous butterflies and moths. She will be referencing photographs taken by former Governor of Victoria, John Landy.

John has documented 35 species of butterflies and over 300 species of moths in Fryerstown, some of which have not been classified.

Helen’s mosaic artworks are meticulously constructed tessera by tessera, from fine marbles and Venetian glass smalti. All materials are cut to shape using traditional stone and mosaic hand tools, and are placed using medical tweezers.

In addition to giving 2 artists talks at Public Inn (Wednesday 20 March 3pm and Friday 22 March 3pm), Helen will open her Lot 19 studio to visitors on Tuesday 19 and Thursday 21 March from 11am–2pm (check Festival Program Map B, for Lot 19 location details).

Helen welcomes contact by email for information about her technique-based mosaic workshops or to discuss a commission proposal. www.hbmosaics.com helen@hbmosaics.com