What is the language of that which we discard?   What potential are we missing when we impose our assumptions onto materials? Do I really need to buy new materials to make my creative work?   

I set myself the challenge of not purchasing any new materials for my arts practice in 2023.   This constraint led me to investigate ways to use often-overlooked materials considered “waste”, and explore new construction methods like weaving and basketry (ideas which then fed back into my ceramic works.)   

Throughout the year, many recurrent themes emerged- deconstruction and recreation, making wholes out of separate pieces, distortion of structure and the vessel.    

In Nothing New,  my second solo exhibition held at Smith and Gertrude in Fitzroy, I shared all of the material research undertaken throughout the year, with a display of tests and experiments showcasing the creative potential of these unlikely materials. The hope was that this information will help spark new ideas and demonstrate the abundance that is hiding all around us!   

The body of work that I created in my Nothing New Year was also shown for the first time. A series of coiled vessels made in varying media (soft plastics, wire, ceramic and more), the works investigate the phenomena of connections and intersection across materials and ideas.   A program of artist talks, demonstrations and features such as the reading room and material repository accompanied the delivery of Nothing New.