Untitled 2 (holdfast iterations)

• Main Author: Aitken, A
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Megalo Print Studio & Gallery 2018
• Subjects: Creative Arts and Writing; Visual arts; Fine arts; Southern Ocean; Holdfast
• Online Access: https://www.utas.edu.au/creative-arts-media/events/art-hobart/2018/july/antonia-aitken-phd-examination; http://ecite.utas.edu.au/145489

Untitled 2 (holdfast iterations) is part of an ongoing series of works that interprets my entangling connection with lutruwita/ Tasmania. The work references the holdfast from the giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera). This sinuous anchor binds the algae to rock by sending out root-like (haptera) lines of connection. The resultant growth anchors the kelp to rock so it can flex and hold with the powerful movements of the Southern Ocean. The artwork was arrived at through an iterative making process of reproduction, transformation and mirroring. The hand and lasercut wood matrix and its corresponding print interprets the complex and porous form of the holdfast and also the interaction between place and my body.