09 February 2010

Cecile Williams: Contained-OFFICIAL Jury Comments

Blake: “Monkey, dinosaur, golf course, Batman symbol- it is interesting. A statue of a cow. An alien. Super skeleton house full of skeletons.”

Harshi: “Settlement. This artwork is all about settling on the island with greenery and plants. They are all placed in blocks of cubes and placed very well. The video was good. The woman collected lots of shells and plastic to make the artwork really good. The stuff was floating in the water. She found many things like tubes, little guns, animals, people, little sticks. Beri Beri contains some skeletons made with plastic. Beri Beri is a disease. Dice Den is all about Chinese labourers playing some games like chess with dice in a large den. After Hours is all people who go shopping or do stuff finishing their job or work. Hungry Ghost it’s all about people who saw a ghost. The ghost wants to eat food and the people gave it lots of food and drinks to keep it happy.”

Boyd: “Beri Beri looks good…Detained is my favorite because it has a lot of different pieces. Greta’s Garden is very good and interesting.”

Anton: "I think this is a little boring.”

Gemma: “Thongs, rocks, wood, shell toothbrushes, feet, spoon small, hands, coconut shells… Golf balls, flowers, toys. Worship and Wedding Day. Nice work.”

Sarah: “Very creative. I like how she found all the stuff and didn’t waste it, she recycled it all. I like the way how she makes it all in one piece of art, all in plastic. I also like that she didn’t over crowd it.”


















Cecile Williams: Contained





Cecile Williams: Contained

Contained

Cecile Williams (Australia)

Monday 8 February 2010

After spending weeks collecting the plastic rubbish that washed up on the shores of Christmas Island, visual artist Williams created miniature dioramas that collectively tell a narrative of the histories of the Chinese and Malay peoples on the Island. Scenes, people, and backdrops are elaborately carved into lost flip-flops, WWII air raids created by a fleet of tiny plastic soldiers and fighter planes, and the plight of the detained immigrant workers in the mines are pieced together with bits of detritus. The volume of which, according to the Jury, blatantly calls for action.

Some Jury Members were bored, others captivated by the stories and documentary, and some more interested in cataloguing the refuse. At last count, the exhibition had over 20 different dinosaurs.