Part 5 ‘Collyn Making’ – Collyn moves around his space with an enquiring mind. A work always in progress. The music he plays (reversed in my editing) the different wind chimes, the water dripping off his roof to be collected in a bucket, the patting and forming of a chawan. Linda whisks matcha (Green tea) at the end of our session. I looked for a flow in editing the sound into a form to end with the breath and relief at the end of creating.
Part 2 ‘Linda Making’- recorded in Linda’s studio mainly working on the electric pottery wheel. The summer insects form a backdrop to the kneading of clay with rhythmic breath. Handling the clay before centering using her body with the mechanics of the wheel to form the clay into a circular vessel. Running her fingers around the rim and over the bisk fired chawan.
Part 3 ‘Tea’ combines male and female chanting with the ritual of making tea, including the whisking of matcha. Recorded in the studio of ceramic artist Collyn Gawned, also his home, the process of making tea is a part of the creative process and underpins the esthetic.
The first edit I posted was reworked to consider the place it sits within the entire soundscape and the flow required within the exhibition space.
Linda Chambers & Collyn Gawned: 100 Chawan
10 April – 8 May 2025 | Vancouver Arts Centre
100 Chawan (tea bowls) is a collaborative installation reflecting the studio based practices and common interests of Albany ceramic artists Linda Chambers and Collyn Gawned.
With reference to historic and cultural use, the tea bowl became their inspiration for individual exploration into form, surface decoration and functionality.
They have worked the elements of earth and water, firing in gas, electric and wood-fired kilns, to create unique and considered pieces for this exhibition, complimented by an original soundscape meditation compiled by Albany sound designer, Nat Rad.
Dates: 10 April – 8 May 2025
Days: Monday- Friday
Time: 10am – 4pm
Location: Vancouver Arts Centre, 85 Vancouver St, Albany
“Video of back fence in a cold morning as sun intensifies. Steam emanating from the fibre board fence.
Using filters to section the video into a dreamlike state until the final frame in golden glow. Sound is the water pouring between tea-cups, tapping on tea cup and glacial waters of Lake St Claire, Tasmania.”
More Voidscape works in progress.
Transparency of image interaction.
After making a short film with soundscape earlier in the year, I am now looking to translate a couple stills into paintings. Documentation of process.
I feel a process is emerging.
The first small study concentrated on blocking in areas with charcole in a loose way, underpainting in complementaries then final layer with body added to the paint.
To translate a work into a larger format, I found the muscle memory of the composition stronger.
“This work is taken from 2023, a day painting at Katrine, outside Toodyay, WA. Behind the farm stay a hill of golden wheat was being harvested over the days, imprinting the landscape with lines. A November sun blurred the vision by day but at dusk the mauves combined with a softer yellow. I wanted to work in a freer fashion after again working with stencils on the project before. This work focused on colour, line and texture as I tried a new paint thickener.
As summer melts into autumn, I am back in the studio.
Last summer I spent many hours in the shade of a cape lilac tree watching a harvester mark a field while staying at Katrine, near Toodyay. As the shadows lengthened in the golden hour, I watched as the harvester lines and hillside changed into a painting in my mind.
In this first study, charcoal defined the composition before underpainting in purple and gold. Juicier paint applied for final layer.
Study is a very small work which will be translated into a larger canvas with more space for the eye to get lost in.
Nat Rad Artist + Artsworker 