I'm 25 and emerging from under a rock. I work across Gadigal and Bidjigal land and have spent 2022 honing my practice, focusing on pyrography. I try to create "future capsules"*- objects from our time, imaginatively transported into the future where they are examined by archaeologists as evidence of how 21st century society (dys)functioned. I use pyrography as it allows me to make marks through erasure, rather than adding a new substance to the surface. My practice is informed by the philosophy of vital materialism, where the qualities of my materials (mainly plywood) dictate both the aesthetic and conceptual direction of my work. I try to surrender agency to the object by keeping the lines of the wood grain and drawing out the latent characteristics of the material. Most of my materials are debris from construction sites/sites of destruction, which has been washed away and relocated by non-human agents (like water, wind, or the collective energy of a highway). The ornate, decorative style I use is intended to contrast with the battered and forlorn nature of my materials. I want to tease out the ways material value is constructed through logos and branding, and temporally resituate it among hieroglyphics and runes. I'm finishing my degree this year and hope to do some residencies next year to pursue my practice further, expanding it technically and conceptually. Thank you! *a term coined by poet Stanley Baranczak which I've taken and run with a bit
The John Hanke Stelae, c2022, pyrography on plywood.
Unearthed in 21st century warehouse, The John Hanke Stelae (JHS) is a fascinating example of late Bezotian era symbolism.
The stelae was commissioned by technoligarch John Hanke, who served the house of Google before forming his own house "Pokemon Go". It details this house's revenue model, which tracked followers geographic movements before directing them to sponsored locations, and lauds his genius. The stelae was vandalised in the early 22nd century but recent technology has allowed its near total restoration.
The stelae was commissioned by technoligarch John Hanke, who served the house of Google before forming his own house "Pokemon Go". It details this house's revenue model, which tracked followers geographic movements before directing them to sponsored locations, and lauds his genius. The stelae was vandalised in the early 22nd century but recent technology has allowed its near total restoration.
