I had the most wonderful time at Gunyah. What an amazing retreat - not that I was closeted. Quite the opposite, I enjoyed the outdoors, breakfasts on the balcony, strolls down to the jetty, lolling in the lounge. And all importantly, working on performances - I spent time contemplating the water and the rocks at Gunyah, as well as the beaches and dunes across the cove at Tea Gardens, Jimmy's Beach and the Nature Reserve.
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| Janet Meaney, Gunyah track down to the water, 2015 |
What a luxury it was to spend time in
such a fabulous house in a bush setting on the waterfront. So calm, peaceful
and perfect for coming up with new ideas. Despite my plan to work with the degradation of the beach and the rising
sea level I concentrated instead on the oysters from the area. Besides eating
them (they were so fresh and delicious) I was fascinated by the way they cling
to the rocks below the house and impressed by the fact that their numbers in
the wild are rising, indicating the health of the water and the lack of disturbance
that allows them to grow and procreate.
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| Janet Meaney, Old Oysters, 2015 |
I developed quite a relationship with the
oyster shells. As I was lolling in the window seat looking out across the water
I was thinking of how sedentary I had become and it struck me that the perfect application
for the shells was to attach them to my body with the intent that the viewer
would gather that I was so sedentary that the shells began to grow on me. It
was also a bit about age and its process.
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| Janet Meaney, Sedentary sculpture and Sedentary arm drawing, 2015 |
I also used my new fabulous sound recorder for
many hours recording the wonderful lapping of the water on the rocks and the
birds as they planned their mornings and settled in the evenings. The recorder
picks up 5 times the sound that our ears can hear so after listening for an
extended time then taking the earphones off, the sound flattens with a thud - totally
flat and one dimensional. What a luxury it was to spend such time listening and
contemplating. It has given me all sorts of ideas for performances such as
playing the lapping while raising and lowering a sheet for instance in a tub as
if washing by hand to test the reaction of the viewer - will they realise that
the sound is not that of the washing in the absence of water in the tub, it
sounds the same. Another performance I planned is for Amsterdam at the Festival
of Unnoticed Art. I recorded the sound of me walking in the bush with the
cracking of twigs and leaves underfoot to be played back on a portable speaker
that I will carry as I walk the streets of Amsterdam. So the sound will be noticed
but not necessarily as art.
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| Janet Meaney, Re-erosion and Bucket, 2015 |
My Gunyah residency was a very productive
time for me, new ideas are continuing to develop as a result. Thanks again Kath for such a wonderful opportunity to absorb the
atmosphere and put it to use.
Janet Meaney
November 2015
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| Janet Meaney, Low tide at Jimmy's Beach, 2015 |
