Interested in perception, relationships, and the range of participation possible in art, Elizabeth Pedlers’ practice spans from playful and interactive installations to collaborative relational aesthetics. Exchange, food, and community involvement are areas of particular focus, and have led to significant artistic development in her recent arts practice, engaging with audiences through the sharing of experiences.
Elizabeth joined us at ArtsHouse in Term 4 of 2018 and in Term 1 of 2019. She developed a dialogue with ArtsHouse, exploring and responding to the residency structure, its educational context, and how it functions in the community.
For further information, please see the artist’s website @ www.elizabethpedler.com, and her article online at Artsource about her experiences entitled Re-invigorating the residency model: ArtsHouse at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus.
< Harmony Projects 2019 >
At the culmination of her residency, Elizabeth worked with students from Years 11 and 12 to create projects exploring and expanding on the concept of harmony. Seven groups participated in a series of three 90-minute workshops, from the varied learning areas of Photography, General Art, Community Service, Health, Educational Support, and Drama.
The first workshop with each group began with a listening exercise, a moment of mindfulness to open a space for inward contemplation. From the first workshop, each group wrote a manifesto, a unique and powerful expression of what harmony meant to them. In the second workshop, the students were facilitated in planning a project communicating their vision of harmony. In the third workshop the students carried out their vision, and were guided in rehearsal, production, or testing.
The results were as diverse as the subject areas involved, including: a decorate-your-own cupcake and cookie stall; the performance of an original choreographed dance work; installations wrapping and decorating the trees in a riot of colour; hand painted and photo collaged miniature houses, hanging from the same trees; more cupcakes; a photo-collage mural; frozen fruit cups — “to help people chill out,” and manifold other expressions and decorations spreading harmony throughout the school. The projects were presented to the rest of the school on Harmony Day in March 2019.
Her thoughts on the process are outlined in this piece of writing published by Artsource: Rethinking Harmony: Reflections on a residency at Cyril Jackson Senior Campus ArtsHouse.
