“When I first saw what Lucy and Jane had made of potentially noxious materials retrieved from the sea, I laughed with delight. This is a thorough and subversive recreation of the materials in the best tradition by which “objets trouves” are chosen, and thoroughly transformed and given new value and intrigue by the vision and imagination of artists. The results here are mischievous, intriguing and very, very satisfying.”
Thomas Keneally, June 2021
Polyglut is the body of work created when artists in residence at the Old Quarantine Station at North Head, Sydney. From March 21 - Jan 2022, (covid lockdowns excluded) Lucy Barker and Jane Gillings were the inaugural ‘Artist’s in the Spotlight’ at
Q Station, for Les Sculptures Refusées
Poly.glut was a collaboration between Lucy and Jane and was exhibited in January 2022. It was the culmination of their time spent staying in the Hospital Precinct of the Old Quarantine Hospital, North Head, Sydney.
When exploring the rocky foreshore at the mouth of the harbour, where no one usually goes Lucy and Jane discovered a cave filled to the brim with ocean waste, primarily polystyrene, some of which was clearly way older than themselves. Unable to turn a blind eye the artists set about extracting he materials and transforming them into artworks that reflected the history of Q Station and challenged audiences to face the effects of polystyrene pollution.
Thomas Keneally talks about Poly.glut
In lieu of Thomas Keneally opening our exhibition (launch canceled due to covid) we have produced a short film of his pithy insights interspersed with footage from our time there.
