In 2019, ANCA Critic in Residence Rebecca Blake spoke with ANCA studio tennant Michelle Day about her solo exhibition ‘What Remains’. Shown at ANCA Gallery from 20 March – 7 April 2019, the exhibition captured the ethereal beauty and unsettling undertones of the natural world through sensory sculptural installations that explored the delicate splendour of life on a microcellular level.
Michelle Day’s visually striking immersive installations are beautiful and at times confronting. Her two bodies of works, What Remains 2016 and Disturbed Air 2017, are the summation of her Master of Fine Arts Degree at Chiang Mai University, Thailand, 2015-2017. As a child she always had an interest in science and nature, growing up on a farm and observing her father’s career in Chemistry. Following a short-term residency in 2013 her move to Thailand focused her interest in the organic world from the macro down to the micro: ‘With this newer work I have been thinking about the tinier aspects, all those things that are left behind’. The new locus also revealed the impermanence of nature as the boundaries between natural and built environments was increasingly fluid.
Remembering the impact of a vacant classroom at Chiang Mai University in Thailand, Day recalls the sedentary layers of debris which built-up over time within the liminal space.
‘Layers of paint, eraser filaments, engravings, nails and fingerprints scattered across the walls and floor of the room…it was often difficult for me to determine if students were using the rooms or not, how long something had been left in there and how recently changes to layers on the wall had occurred.’
The layers of detritus are the physical memories that capture the feeling of a place, an echo of lapsed moments. These markers are concurrently shed from the body, building-up to become something in their own right, then once again disintegrate and crumble, harmonising with nature’s constant state of flux.
Stepping into the installation Disturbed Air is like entering into a living, breathing space, marked by memories of what has come before. The ambiguous forms are at once both ethereal and yet slightly discomforting. The artist works with meticulous attention to detail in an array of components ranging from silicone, textiles, salt, hair, sawdust, thread, fabric and light. She combines common materials to create otherworldly forms that have a strikingly truthful appearance, as though they retain their own energy. As Day herself says it is the sense of being ‘caught in the wake of another person’s recent presence’ that is the focus of Disturbed Air. Artfully constructed, this work encourages us to explore the traces that are left behind, and the continued existence of detritus once separated from the body. As a complete entity her work feels delicate, light and at times spiritual, as though the debris of life has evolved to become a being of it’s own.
Several influences inspire Day’s practice, ranging from microbial textbooks to philosophical literature, giving us a glimpse of the facets that inform her work. She is particularly influenced by Japanese culture and the work of Japanese artists.
There are several words in the Japanese language that beautifully encapsulate the elusive elements of Day’s work, such as ‘Mononoaware’, which describes the bittersweet feeling of fading beauty. The word ‘Wabi-sabi’ refers to beauty in imperfections and recognition of the natural cycle of growth and decay. The work of artist Chiharu Shiota, who was trained by Marina Abramovic in the 90s, is a strong influence. Her practice centres on the idea of existence in absence and the feeling of someone’s recent presence within a space. Other contemporary artists who had an impact on her career include James Turrell, Fiona Hall, Anne Wilson and Louise Bourgeois.
The vessels from the What Remains series are curious sculptures that conceal otherworldly realms within. Their illuminated openings draw the viewer closer, beckoning you to peer inside. This work demands a level of vulnerability, as the viewer must become a willing participant, moving closer and relinquishing control to peer into the unknown.
The six sculptures are confronting, sensory works. The element Afterglow is a delicate and beguiling piece. Its external body recalls the shape of something with organic origins with its discoloured pits and cracks. The harsh exterior structure conceals an elusive world hidden within. Its internal form is reminiscent of natural origins, such as a bed of sea anemone or germinating seeds. Real and imaginary experiences become intertwined within these mesmeric constructed spaces. The artist considers whether the ‘essence of life’ can continue amongst debris in the absence of the host. Asking if these fixed forms are living entities capable of regeneration and growth.
In a world that is increasingly fast-paced and looking at the bigger picture, the installations exhibited in What Remains do the opposite. Day emphasizes the importance of taking the time to look closer at the seemingly insignificant, revealing the scintillating elements that are present in the everyday. This body of work celebrates the universal beauty of nature, viewed up-close on a microscopic level.
Title image: Michelle Day, Disturbed Air, 2017 - 2019 (detail). Salt, stainless steel, perspex, Dimensions Variable. Courtesy the artist.
Installation images of ‘What Remains’ by Michelle Day. ANCA Gallery, 20 March – 7 April 2019.
Article by 2019 CiR Rebecca Blake as part of the Critic in Residence (CiR) program. The CiR is a partnership program between Art Monthly Australasia and ANCA.
