Adaptation
Adaptation is a large scale community collaboration project that invites communities to unlock their creativity via online workshops.
These sessions take participants into the GAS workshop floor via a multi camera set up, and are a fast moving, fun and creatively liberating experience.
Artworks from these sessions are 'adapted' into an ever evolving public art project: inflatable sculptures, art canvases and art fabrics.
The original project collaborated with communities of the Maitland, Grafton and Bathurst Regional Art Galleries and Albury Public Art to bring an amazing public art experience to regional centres.
"The role of art is to reflect back to our society, but in Adaptation - what it reflects back is very personal.
It shows a way of understanding your own creativity in a completely new way. It changes what you think may have once been possible." Artist - Maurice Goldberg
"We are passionate about having public participation in a genuine way in our public art projects.
We created a live / online workshop structure that allows anyone to have a really fun, non threatening art experience. And the results are truly incredible.
Instead of focusing on 'getting it right', we focus on unique concepts like "deliberately create an obstacle to work around", or "draw blindfolded - and focus on what that freedom feels like"...
We use ideas that we've formed about how creativity works - from over twenty years of studio practice."
- Artist Matthew Aberline
Using supplied art kits, participants were encouraged to get creative and express themselves in their very own homes. Using a combination of music, movement, drawing blind folded, and drawing with specific emotions in mind - it really is an art class like no other.
Participants have varied greatly from professional art educators and artists, to communities working with disability, to senior / retired groups looking to experiment with new ideas.
GAS adapts these beautiful participant artworks into huge, fully resolved "art fabrics".
‘I had a really positive experience. I saw something in the local paper and I’m so glad I joined up.
I’ve been drawing to try and find a happy place, and to get into this drawing, so abstract, creative free flowing, it was a REALLY good happy place. I feel like I’ve gained a lot from it.’
'I didn’t realise how difficult it can be to start out, and to just let go. I really felt great making this work, especially in the last session when it all came together. It just turned out amazing without me even trying. Whatever you did - it worked.’
‘I found it really really freeing. That dance between intuitive painting, then considering the principals and ideas behind what you’re trying to do. It was a beautiful learning experience. Very freeing and exuberant.'
Sustainability
The majority of the printed textiles used in the installation and art fabrics is made from a fabric that is already recycled - made from plastic PET drinking bottles.
Notable Exhibits:
2021 - Maitland Regional Gallery, Maitland
2021 - Sculpture By the Sea, Perth
2021 - Bathurst Regional Gallery, Bathurst
2021 - Albury City Square, Albury
The Making of Adaptation:
During national Covid lock downs in 2020, GAS had the idea for regional communities to contribute directly to a large public art work, and quickly formed a collaboration with four regional centres.
Over 100 regional creatives joined the project, forming an enthusiastic group over the course of three live workshops.
The multi-camera set up allowed participants to see different aspects of the working studio, and the development of the sculpture.
The work created by the participants was so strong, that some of the gallery partners pivoted to include a 'stretched art fabric' to show their work in a 2D format as well as the inflatable sculpture.
GAS would like to thank their friends and sponsors: Ricky Richards who are the most fantastic and knowledgable suppliers of most of our fabrics, and Sublitech who skilfully printed all of our art fabrics.
