Song of a Sourdough
By Phil Dunn
Ingrained - Gesture as Memory
By Hannah Feuerstein
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By James Duncan
Progressions of Form
Phil is a multidisciplinary artist who conceives and executes work incorporating performance, sound, moving-image and programming. He marries digital and analogue technologies to construct and present durational multi-media installations. Song of a Sourdough began as an experiment in creating regenerative sculptural material, but came to represent renewal and resilience in a personal and societal context – Phil had recently abandoned a 31-year career in IT services and the COVID-19 pandemic had just begun. Taking its name from Robert Service's poetry collection Songs of a Sourdough, it depicts Phil’s processes alongside a narrative that is a reflective journey of coal mining, gold prospecting, de-industrialisation, care, and regeneration. At times deadly serious, the narrative also exposes his wry humour and sense of the ridiculous.
This exhibition draws from my childhood memories, particularly of shadowing my grandmother, a baker. Delving into the theme of memory, I encountered ideas from thinkers like Bernard Stiegler, Donna Haraway, and Ursula K. Le Guin. Their concepts of memory externalization and rethinking human evolution resonated deeply. Sourdough, for me, embodies patience, balance, and the cycle of life, challenging human exceptionalism. Across cultures, bread symbolizes unity, reflecting on the unifying aspects of humanity. In my artistic process, I blend these ideas, seeing bread as a symbol of sharing culture honestly. Working with non-human microbes, I explore the intersection of the animate and inanimate, adapting concepts to create meaningful narratives.
As an origamist James has been honing his skills for over a decade. He specialises in
folding striking abstract forms, and enjoys the process of discovering new ideas and
approaches. James is influenced by the mathematically determinant nature of origami and utilises this
during his creative process, allowing outcomes of folds to develop naturally.
James’ recent works explore the progression and disruption of origami forms, driven by his
belief that origami as an art form can be pushed further into conceptual spaces.