projects and collaborations
Flow States
In 2023 Mel Robson and Ellis Hutch collaborated on Flow States, an outdoor interactive work as part of Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside, curated by the Museum of Brisbane and held in the Brisbane Botanic Gardens. Using translucent re-purposed porcelain objects and projections of microscopic water life from the Brisbane River and the transient creeks in Mparntwe/Alice Springs, Flow States was a reflection on the complex relational layers between humans, plants and animals that form our ecosystems.
“Up above you more than 2000 porcelain leaves form floating screens for the projection of microscopic waterlife recorded from the transient rivers of Mparntwe/Alice Springs, the City Botanic Gardens peninsula and the flowing Brisbane River…..Mel Robson’s Ceramics and Ellis Hutch’s videography come together to create a scene nestled in the branches of the sacred bodhi tree. Together, the revelation of ethereal and fascinating micro-ecologies encourages quiet contemplation and wonder”: Botanica: Contemporary Art Outside, 2023
Craft and Design Canberra artist-in-residence
In 2022 Mel was selected for Craft and Design Canberra’s acclaimed artist-in-residence along with fellow artists Bev Hogg and Julie Ryder. The program included a research period in the National Library of Australia’s Map collection, a residency at Gudgenby Ready-Cut cottage in Namadgi National Park, and an exhibition of work created as a result of the residency. Her research and works explored the idea of ‘territory’ – as a geographic, political and personal concept, and the intersections of these as a means of investigating and representing the many layered and complex ideas around place.
MIND THE GAPS
In 2019 Mel worked with the Womens Museum of Australia to create a site specific installation in response to the museum site and collection. Found ceramic objects, and imagery from the WMoA collection transferred onto ceramic tiles, have been embedded in the cracks and gaps in the walls and footpaths of the museum, creating brief glimpses of the past and fleeting traces of history. It aims to draw attention to the complexities of interpreting history, the way stories get remembered or forgotten amongst the dominant narrative, and the role objects can play not only in how we remember but also in how we forget.
Push and Pull
In 2017 Mel Robson and painter Neridah Stockley collaborated on a series of 3-D works drawing on the architectural/urban landscape. Ceramics by Mel Robson, Graphic by Neridah Stockley.
Touch
Touch is an ongoing collaborative work by Mel Robson and Suzi Lyon. The first project, conducted in Alice Springs in 2014, involved the making and installation of over ten thousand small clay pinch pots made with the Alice Springs Community.
Ghost Gum
In 2013 Mel Robson and designer Elliat Rich collaborated to create a sculptural light installation and a series of vessels inspired by the denizen of the Central Australian bush, the Ghost Gum. Over 2000 wafer thin porcelain 'leaves' were used to create an ever-changing forest of light and shadow.
THE kids cup project
The Kids Cup Project is a collaboration between Mel Robson and children of the Alice Springs community. Each year Mel works with kids from the local community to create a range of porcelain cups and beakers. All proceeds are donated to a local charity chosen by the kids involved. Since 2012 they have donated funds to Riding for the Disabled, the Alice Springs branch of the RSPCA and the Purple House Dialysis Centre.
domestic renewal
Domestic Renewal, curated by Rohan Nichol, is a collaborative project involving 16 individuals drawn from a range of creative disciplines including visual art, studio craft, independent design practice and architecture. Mel Robson teamed up with ceramicist Kenji Uranishi in 2012 to create a series of vessels that brought together ideas of architecture and the domestic.
preservation
Commissioned by the Brisbane City Council in 2012, Preservation is a public art work that sits in amongst the Kaori trees in C.T. White Park in inner city Brisbane. The work draws on the rich natural and social history of the site and aims to reveal, remind and encourage people to reflect upon its diversity and vitality.
BLUE
Invited to respond to the phrase 'something old something new something borrowed something blue' for an exhibition at Object Gallery in Sydney in 2010, Mel created a series of toungue in cheek works around traditional ideas of love and marriage.
the ipswich house
In 2008 Mel was invited to be part of The Ipswich House, a project that examines the city’s significant architectural heritage through a selection of commissioned ‘house portraits’ by 13 contemporary QLD Artists. ‘Belmont’ was a series of 10 porcelain vessels, each representing a different era, resident or characteristic of the house, providing episodic glimpses into its 150 year past.