Patricia+Piccinini

Personal responses provided by Patricia Piccinini focusing on her video, ‘**//The Gathering’//**. Piccinini selected an ordinary ‘upper’ suburban house, so that the viewer felt comfortable and reassured in entering it. The house was created to provide a feeling of familiarity, so the viewer felt at ease. Initially the viewer is shown the outside of the house but is then lead through the open doorway and up the stairs. At this point the **focus** is placed on the girl prompting a multiplicity of questions centred on her welfare. · Why is she there? · Is she alive? ·                 Where are her parents? Piccinini has consciously used **colour** to make the girl has look like she doesn’t quite fit, as her colouring is quite different to her surrounds. The furry creatures look marsupial. They have been crafted so they do not appear scary rather there is something ‘familiar’ about them. At this point in the film we notice the girl is breathing, which reassures us that she is alive. We become tense or concerned as the creatures move towards her. At this stage Piccinini intentionally changes the music to heighten our emotional response. It is at this point the story climaxes as the ‘mother creature’ shows her new born babies. This last scene is supposed to be a beautiful birth sequence. The film ceases with a painting which is a reference to family, connection and culture. The piece is a narrative, soft work it is highly emotional because it is about vulnerability and nurturing. Patricia Piccinini ultimately hopes that people will consider how we interact with the other creatures that we share the planet with. Piccinini wants us to consider whether we are taking responsibility for things. At a time of significant technological advancement are we taking responsibility for things that we are developing and the other creatures which exist? · Piccinini was around hospitals as a young adult a great deal because of her mother’s poor health. This created an interest in medical sciences but also responsibilities. · Even though Piccinini trained as a painter, she felt that her ideas couldn’t be expressed through paint. As the work Piccinini produces is for the public not herself, she felt that paint didn’t have the required connection with the real world and therefore decided to work initially with photography. At this point Piccinini also realised she needed to work with others (collaboratively) who had the ‘technical’ skills required to fulfil her ideas. Piccinini informs the ideas/concepts and then gets the ‘best available’ people within her budget to realise them. Piccinini is involved in all aspects of the construction and presentation of her work. · As Piccinini was from a migrant background, she always felt a bit alien, on the outside. Now she wants to be part of the ‘centre’, to reflect on ‘her’ culture, ‘her’ place. Piccinini works across a range of artforms, selecting the one which best expresses her ideas/concepts.  1. Video Art. The video’s which Piccinini produces usually take about 18 months to make and after this process, she is really exhausted and keen to explore other artmaking processes.  2. The automotive works are consumer influenced. Piccinini plays around with the notion of technology being feminine, as we expect it to be masculine. Intrigued and fascinated by the care taken in customising vehicles.  3. Photography can capture things which cannot be made.  4. Installations/sculptures are created when Piccinini wants things that are more physical, for people to be part of the space, to be tactile.  1. Often children are used because they don’t make value judgement and we respond positively to them.  2. In the Tasmanian work the ‘Tasmanian Devil’ was used. They are depicted as being aggressive and yet they are really only scavengers. We tend to create ‘myths’ about certain creatures when many of them are inaccurate and they are all a vital part of the eco-system. · In this diorama the boy has been placed in a specific yoga pose which can only be held when the person is incredibly relaxed. · The background of the diorama mimics Mt Wellington, as Piccinini was keen to recreate an environment which the ‘viewers’ could relate too. · 9 devils were used. · Piccinini was trying to show how the child was at ‘oneness’ with the environment. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· It is a ‘natural’ scene created in an artificial environment. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· The ‘viewer’ has to walk into a building to see the environment. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· It is a cerebral piece, not just emotional or physical. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· It has a ‘sharks’ head as Piccinini wanted to draw the relation between the shark and this creature. The shark eats the rubbish from the sea and if we don’t look after them then this role will be lost and the eco system will be completely out of balance. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· It eats rubbish. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Its bottom looks like an aesthetically pleasing face. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Questions Piccinini wanted to prompt. <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø What is it? <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Where does it come from? <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Why is it there? <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Is it real? <span style="font-family: Wingdings; mso-bidi-font-family: Wingdings; mso-fareast-font-family: Wingdings; msobidifontfamily: Wingdings; msofareastfontfamily: Wingdings; msolist: Ignore;">Ø Is it artificial? <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Silicon cannot really be touched because the oil oxidizes and then needs to be cleaned. This is difficult because it turns brown. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> a)  Her work reflects her interest in what is real and not and what changes these boundaries. For instance: Biogenetics. Piccinini is constantly moved, amazed and made feel distraught with the changes taking place.  “Once it was easy to distinguish between what was real and artificial but now the boundary is really ‘slippery’”. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> b)   Her world references the technology because it is part of the world we live in. <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Human/Environment <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Machines/animals <span style="font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; msobidifontfamily: Symbol; msofareastfontfamily: Symbol; msolist: Ignore;">· Different species. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> c)  Piccinini explores the themes and idea’s through different artistic forms. The artform selected is dependent on the idea being explore. Piccinini selects the artform which she believes will explore the idea more strongly. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> d)   Her work is about ‘empathy’. “I feel and therefore think”. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> e)  Piccinini is really concerned with the responsibility to ‘new life’.  <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> f)   Her work also explores relationships. <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> g)   Piccinini is interested in the opposites. For instance, the naturalising of technology. She is in awe of the impact of bio-technology.  **//The Long Awaited//**.  This work is about nurturing. The nurturing is not only about the grandmother nurturing the child but vice versa. You cannot be totally relaxed and sleep properly if you don’t have trust in the person.  **//The Big Mother//**.   This has links to a story Piccinini was told when a Baboon in Africa stole a human baby from a hut because she was grieving for her dead baby. Apparently Baboons are so traumatised if their baby dies that they will carry around their dead infants until they completely decomposed.   **//<span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> "Big Mother" represents a genetically engineered primate wet-nurse. It was inspired by a story about a female baboon whose baby died while still nursing. The primate mother, overwhelmed by grief, abducted a human child as a substitute (the little girl was quickly recovered unharmed). //** <span style="color: #333333; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-language: EN-AU;"> This piece also is about Piccinini’s own personal experiences of nurturing and breast feeding her son. Piccinini also highlighted that this piece has issues of childcare involved. This is an ongoing social issues and one where the needs of the family and the community are frequently discussed and debated in the media. **August Shenck** is an influential artist on Piccinini, she finds connections with the high level of emotion in his work.
 * Patricia Piccinini talk//.(Heide gallery 09’)// **
 * // The Gathering  //**
 * // Ideas/concepts explored in Patricia Piccinini’s work.  //**
 * // Historical and cultural background of Patricia Piccinini and how this informs her art practise.  //**
 * // Artforms  //**
 * // Key art works and subject matter explored  //**
 * //<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; msobidifontfamily: Calibri; msobidithemefont: minor-latin; msolist: Ignore;"> 3.  //****// The Bottom feeder. //**
 * // Conservation issues in Piccinini’s work.  //**
 * // What is Patricia Piccinini’s work about?  //**