Art derived from living materials such as microbes, honeycomb, and slime mold are just some of the unusual works featured in an exhibition by UNSW’s Environmental Humanities program.

Intra-action: Multispecies becomings in the Anthropecene, curated by Dr Eben Kirksey from the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Madeleine Jean Boyd from the University of Sydney, features time-based, sculptural, installation and photographic interactions with the  environment.

Dr Kirksey previously curated the US-based exhibition, Multispecies Salon, an exploration of ecological disasters that inspired his forthcoming book, The Multispecies Salon: Gleanings from a Para-Site.

“The aim of the Intra-action exhibition is to raise awareness of our environment and find new ways of interacting with what’s around us,” said Dr Kirksey, who will teach a new course in 2014 called Multispecies Worlds where students will learn how to grow art from living materials.

“Visitors are invited to bring things with them to the gallery—living plants needy of a good home, or just ideas—and to leave traces of their visit behind,” said Dr Kirksey.

The exhibition features Australian and North American artists. Highlights include: a hybrid sculpture made from American ass milk, hyper-real video of animal life and installations constructed from reclaimed wool.

COFA lecturer and Director of UNSW’s Imaging the Land International Research Institute, Louise Fowler-Smith, will exhibit photos that explore how we perceive and contemplate the land.

“For this exhibition I’ve focused on the importance of the link between the loss of habitat and species extinction. Trees are not only important for the survival of humans, but essential as a habitat for multiple animal species,” she said.

The exhibition is co-presented by the Environmental Humanities program at UNSW and the University of Sydney.

Intra-action runs until July 28 at MOP Projects in Chippendale.

Media contact: Fran Strachan, UNSW Media | 9385 8732 | 0429 416 070

 

 

11 Intra actionReclaimed wool