Pelagic

Sara Retallick, Olivia Boyle, Jennifer Lavers

28 Aug–14 Sep 2019

The pelagic zone encompasses the majority of the water column from the open ocean to the coral reef, and all species inhabiting it.

This research based site-responsive collaboration between contemporary jeweller Liv Boyle, marine biologist Dr Jennifer Lavers, and sound artist Sara Retallick, explores the environmental impact of plastic waste converging in our oceans.

In 2017 Lavers led a ground breaking Research Expedition to Henderson Island of the Pitcairn Group, exposing “exceptional and rapid accumulation of anthropogenic debris on one of the world’s most remote and pristine islands” (Lavers, 2017). A World Heritage site noted for its isolation and biodiversity, Lavers’ discovery broke global headlines; 38 million pieces of plastic waste choked Henderson’s East Beach. Arguably one of Earth’s last vestiges of paradise, this uninhabited coral atoll provides a safe haven for migratory species like the Masked Booby, the Red Tailed Tropic Bird and Murphy’s Petrels. Situated in the heart of the South Pacific Gyre, it also contains the highest density of plastic pollution on record.

Influenced by expert observations and quantitative data, the artists present new works utilising material collected by Lavers during the second Research Expedition conducted in June 2019. This unique collaboration sees the coming together of disciplines: object, jewellery, sound, and science, discussing site-specific ecologies under extreme pressure.

Onsite, Exhibition

Overview

The pelagic zone encompasses the majority of the water column from the open ocean to the coral reef, and all species inhabiting it.

Key Dates

Opening: 29 Aug 2019, 8am–10am

Acknowledgment

This program takes place on the land of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation. We recognise that sovereignty was never ceded - this land is stolen land. We pay respects to Wurundjeri Elders, past, present and emerging, to the Elders from other communities and to any other Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders who might encounter or participate in the program.

Biographies

Sara Retallick is an artist and researcher living and working on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm. Her work explores human perceptions of sound through constructed sonic encounters. Currently, she is investigating sound in underwater environments to expand sonic contexts and to push the physical limits of listening and understandings of sound.

Sara also performs live with exploratory electronics, bass and voice. She has contributed to various live projects over the past 18 years, having performed shows for Dark MOFO (2016), Melbourne Music Week (2021), and Shepparton Art Museum (2022). The evolving nature her live practice aims to harness the freedom to experiment, offering genre-crossing encounters that span soundscape, noise, sound collage, pop music and improvisation.

Sara has exhibited internationally at Reina Sofía in Madrid, Sapin (2020) and I.S.E.A. in Durban, South Africa (2018). Nationally, Sara has presented installations at RISING Festival (2021), BLINDSIDE (2019), and Bus Projects (2017).

Olivia Boyle is a New Zealand born cross-disciplinary artist currently working in Melbourne, Australia. Transforming discrete materials into contemporary object and jewellery, Liv collects and re-imagines detritus that speaks for its environment. Her work investigates key ephemeral sites such as tidelines, often referencing indicator species in changing ecosystems. Collaboration underpins and enriches Liv’s research-based practice.

Liv completed a BFA in Sculpture at the University of Auckland (2005), and an Advanced Diploma of Jewellery at Melbourne Polytechnic (2013). She has exhibited internationally, including ITAMI International Contemporary Jewellery Exhibition in Japan (2017, 2013) and was a finalist for the National Contemporary Jewellery Award 2018, Australia.

Jennifer LaversDr Jennifer Lavers is a Research Scientist at the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) in Launceston, Tasmania. She is a marine biologist with expertise in tropical and temperate seabird ecology and marine pollution, including plastic debris. She and her graduate students regularly collaborate on art-science projects with an aim to translate scientific data or samples into outputs that engage the community. Dr Lavers has also been featured in recent documentaries, including Plastic Oceans and BLUE, as well as an upcoming BBC episode (October 2018). In 2017, her research on Henderson Island made global headlines after shining a spotlight on huge quantities of plastic debris accumulating on remote, uninhabited islands.

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