Emma Fielden: Transforming Installations Through Performance

In this episode, multidisciplinary artist Emma Fielden shares her roundabout career path and the evolution of her artistic practice. Starting with her early passion for music, Fielden transitioned into jewellery and drawing, eventually focusing on installation art and performance.

Emma opens up about:
• Life-changing experiences, such as her residency at Art Omi in New York and being a finalist in the NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship at Artspace in Sydney and how these experiencees shaped her work.

• The conceptual and material aspects of her work and how much thought and research goes into each detail, highlighting the importance of the transformative moments in her installations.
• The financial realities and challenges of sustaining an art career and creating ephemeral work.

Tune in to hear her take on incorporating science and research into her artistic practice, her take on belonging in the art world and her upcoming big projects.

02:38 Emma's Early Life and Musical Journey
04:11 Transition from Music to Other Careers
05:54 Discovering Jewelry and Object Design
06:53 From Jewelry to Installation Art
08:11 Residency and Fellowship Experiences
14:58 Site-Specific Art and Material Choices
17:47 The Importance of Libraries and Research
23:49 Challenges and Learning from Failures
27:35 Ephemeral Nature of Installation
29:43 Turning to Performance Art
31:28 Funding Artistic Projects
33:28 Documenting The Work
39:27 Transformative Experience
47:49 Challenges of Sustaining an Art Career
50:57 The Concept of Belonging in the Art World
53:33 Upcoming Projects

Emma Fielden is based in Sydney, Australia. You can find out more about her work and see the videos of her performance works on her website https://www.emmafielden.com/ and follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmafielden/

Video and images of the work included:

09:57 Emma Fielden, Distillation of Matter, 2017, hand-crushed ferrite magnets, rare earth magnets, linen thread, steel. Location: Artspace, Sydney. Video: Tom Compagnoni.
22:06 & 41:01 Emma Fielden, Hours of Stars, 2024, chalk, linen thread, synthetic polymer paint on paper, performance. Performer: Emma Fielden. Location: Passage, Sydney, Australia. Video and sound design: Tom Compagnoni.
24:29 Emma Fielden, Axis Mundi: The Line and the Matter, 2015 (ongoing),crushed ferrite magnets, rare earth magnets, steel, glass mirror. Ceiling to floor installation, dimensions variable. Installed at Gallery Funaki, Melbourne, 2015, photographed by Fred Kroh.
32:04 & 36:54 Emma Fielden, Dialogue, 2020, performance with limestone. Excerpt from HD video with sound, 6 hours and 55 seconds. Performers: Emma Fielden and Tarik Ahlip. Location: Parramatta Artists’ Studios Rydalmere, Sydney, Australia. Video: Dara Gill.
34:56 Emma Fielden, Cleave, 2018, river stones, linen thread, performance. Excerpt from HD video with sound, 29 seconds. Performer: Emma Fielden. Location: Art Omi Artists Residency, New York, USA. Video: Orkhan Huseynov.

Also mentioned in this episode:
Sydney Youth Orchestra: https://thesyo.com.au/
Sydney Conservatorium of Music: https://www.sydney.edu.au/music/ | https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/
TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore: https://www.tafensw.edu.au/design-centre-enmore https://instagram.com/tafensw/
Create NSW Emerging Arts Fellowship: https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/visual-arts-fellowship-emerging-2023/24
Artspace: https://www.artspace.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/artspacesydney/
Parramatta Artist Studios: https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/pas | https://www.instagram.com/cityofparramatta/
Art Omi Artists Residency: https://artomi.org/residencies/ | https://www.instagram.com/art_omi
Blacktown Arts Centre: https://blacktownarts.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/BlacktownArts/
Abdullah M.I. Syed: http://abdullahmisyed.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/abdullahmisyed/
Merran Esson: https://merranesson.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/merran_esson/?hl=en
Axis Mundi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_mundi
Bodhi tree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree
The Dewey Decimal system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification
UNSW Art and Design: https://www.unsw.edu.au/arts-design-architecture/our-schools/art-design | https://www.instagram.com/unsw
Carolee Schneemann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolee_Schneemann
Dominik Mersch: https://dominikmerschgallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/dominikmerschgallery
Dobell Drawing Biennial 2024: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/dobell-australian-drawing-biennial-2024/ | https://www.instagram.com/artgalleryofnsw/
Hanae Utamura: https://www.hanaeutamura.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/hanae_utamura/
Paul Howard: https://www.instagram.com/paulrhoward/
Gallery Funaki: https://galleryfunaki.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/funakigallery/
Passage Gallery: https://www.passagegallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/passagegallery/
Tarik Ahlip: http://www.tarikahlip.com/
Orkhan Huseynov: https://www.orkhanhuseynov.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/_orkhan_huseynov/
Jean Siméon Chardin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Siméon_Chardin
Sustainable Fashion: https://www.sustainablefashion.com.au/ | https://instagram.com/sustainable_fashion
Margaret West: http://www.margaretwest.com.au/

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