A Tasmanian ceramic artist known for her collaborations with scientists is the latest Artist in Residence at the School of Creative Arts and Media (CAM)
Jane Bamford will be based at CAM’s Hunter Street Campus from May. Jane is known for her art, science and design collaborative work in rare marine ecology and conservation projects, including her collaboration with the CSIRO’s Dr Tim Lynch on spotted Handfish spawning habitat.
The Artist in Residence (AIR) Program supports and extends professional practice activities within the CAM studio program to provide a fertile environment for artists to develop specific projects and afford unique learning opportunities for students.
Whilst developing their own projects, the Artists in Residence engage with students through a range of studio-based activities including presentations, workshops, demonstrations, one-on-one discussions and group critiques.
During her residency, Jane will work on a new project creating 1000 ceramic Razor Fish Shell (RFS) forms, which will be used as a novel substrate for the collection of spat of Australia’s native flat oyster (Ostrea angasi).
Her work is part of a larger project created by marine biologist Paul Jennings of the Kangaroo Island (KI) Landscape Board in South Australia, to restore a series of small marine native Angasi oyster reefs and promote the habitat they provide.
This experimental innovative project allows Jane to continue her work creating ceramics which incorporate scientific research whilst developing a sustainable, relevant arts practice directly related to habitat and species support.
The creative rationale of this ambitious, art/science experimental project involving several materials including handmade ceramics is both timely and critical in the current climate of species extinction and marine biodiversity loss.
The project will be documented through the videography of marine biologist and filmmaker, Stefan Andrews, who works on projects that focus on communicating scientific research, animal behaviour, marine ecology and conservation. Jane and Stefan’s work has been assisted by support from the Australia Council for the Arts.
The School of Creative Arts and Media looks forward to engaging with Jane while she works on her project among the students and staff in the Art Program teaching environment.
The AiR Program at Hunter Street commenced in 2014 and has benefited from an amazing array of practitioners ranging from recent fine art graduates to international artists and academics.
