Dream & Do

Creative Excursion - Queer Art After Hours

Tara SheltonComment

Once a month we the Dream Team likes to head on out in to the world to find inspiration. This month's creative excursion took us to the Art Gallery of NSW for Queen Art After Hours in celebration of Mardi Gras. The gallery was absolutely bursting and no wonder with the amazing art, performances and experiences that we're going on. Here's some of our fave parts!

 

INSPO #1 - Drag Tour by Verushka Darling

Have you ever walked through a gallery without reading the labels next to the realistic paintings and just guessed the context behind them? Typically your mind may see the art in a conservative sense, seeing a damsel in distress during a time of war or an innocent girl looking for shells on the seashore.

Verushka Darling opened up the possibility to look at this art and interpret it in a more bacchanalian way. She claimed to unlock the secret meanings in the National Art Gallery’s collections of old masters. Take a look at the video and step into the hilarious mind of Verushka.

I feel that all creative work is open to interpretation and should encourage discussion and engagement. We had a discussion amongst the Dream team if the original artist would be amused by their art being analysed in a different way and I think they’d love it. It increases awareness about the work and provokes an emotional reaction, which is what all creatives are aiming for with their work, no matter how it is received. Everyone has the right to have their own view and opinion of things and being able to discover the possible dual meanings of things only enriches our understanding of society.


Pushing views being the conservative is what Dream & Do pushes for as well. I hope this inspires clients and creatives to not be safe and ordinary in their approach but think how would Verushka approach it.

Ashley, Graphic Designer

INSPO #2 - Rose by Suda Yoshihiro

Whilst a few members of the Dream Team were getting their pretty faces made over at the “Glitter Bar”, I went for a wander in the “Upper Asian Gallery” just around the corder. Suda Yoshihiro’s 2004 work ‘Rose’, which consists of the flower and a petal, was an artwork that I stumbled upon here, during our fun evening at The Art Gallery. It is said to reflect the Japanese concept of ‘ma’, the space that exists between things or events. 

Tokyo-based artist Suda Yoshihiro makes extraordinary life-like wooden sculptures of flowers and weeds. Usually placed in large empty spaces, these delicate objects have a powerful presence. The space around the object is a crucial element of Yoshihiro’s work. By placing sculptures into often overlooked locations, (in this instance up high!) Suda increases awareness of space and encourages viewers to notice things they may otherwise overlook. 

I am currently obsessed by the idea of turning an “ordinary” experience, moment or object “extraordinary” one – and I find this theme cropping up in many design briefs I have worked on of late. I thought the work was a lovely metaphor for the process of creating design solutions: finding beauty in places and details often overlooked. Suda’s work is the perfect embodiment of this idea. The already delicate rose is made more delicate and special by the ornate carving and hyper-real colouring. It is suspended in the air (creating drama), and by treating the context with respect (space around the sculpture, and delicate lighting), the rose is given even more presence.  

I am especially drawn to art and design inspired by Mother Nature, and I loved the sense of respect for the rose that Yoshihiro had created in this artwork. The attention to detail (with a floating petal by the rose’s side) was breathtaking. It was a beautiful reminder to take joy in the happy little moments in life, and that inspiration is everywhere. 

Kate, Graphic Designer

INSPO #3 -  Alice and Alice by Cocoloco

I am a huge fan of performance art, especially art that surprises and delights, as well as pushing your buttons a bit. If performance art makes me nervous for what's to come, I am in! I very much got my wish while waiting on the steps of the Gallery for the final Dream Team members to join us.

Mid conversation these two delightful girls called Alice joined us. Like a true childhood nightmare, these two Alice's had all the familiar signs of the much-loved Disney character, but with something not quite right (potentially their corpse-esque make-up). Speaking in perfect unison, these two doll-like creatures introduced themselves to people and told stories that both shocked and entertained. 

 

Laura, Creative Project Manager