The Stony Rises Project

Lesley Duxbury

Lesley Duxbury was born in Accrington, UK, and attended Lancaster College of Art and Maidstone College of Art, where she completed a BA, before emigrating to Australia in 1983. Initially working at the Victorian Print Workshop as a printer and curator, Lesley later taught at a number of tertiary institutions in Victoria and Western Australia, and is currently the director of postgraduate research in the School of Art at RMIT University, Melbourne. Lesley undertook an MA in Visual Art at Curtin University in WA and completed a PhD at RMIT University in 2004. Lesley is an artist who uses Printmedia to make work that addresses issues concerning the natural environment, in particular the atmosphere and its phenomena, which she explores through work that emulates and recreates our experiences and perception of it. The phenomenological experiences of extended walks in remote landscapes, during which Lesley takes photographs and makes extensive notes, are the impetus for her investigations. She has held solo exhibitions in Melbourne, Perth and Sydney and been included in more than 50 group exhibitions in Australia including: Clouded Over at the Lawrence Wilson Gallery, UWA; Print Matters at the Fremantle Arts Centre; Melt at Sydney University Gallery; Constable and Australia at the National Gallery of Australia; and Proof at the National Gallery of Victoria; and internationally in Korea, Austria and Hong Kong. She has been the recipient of the Australia Council VACB studio residency in Paris and completed a large public art commission for Edith Cowan University in Perth. Her work is held in all major public collections in Australia 

Interview

Why did you choose to be involved in The Stony Rises Project?

I "discovered" the Stony Rises soon after arriving in Australia from England in 1983 and the walls in the district reminded me of the part of the UK where I had grown up. Also my uncle constructs and teaches dry stone walling so I felt connected that way.

What is your connection to the Western District area of Victoria?

As I said above initially my connection was through my heritage and imagination. In 1985 I taught at the Warrnambool Institute of Advanced Education and I used to get there on the train once a week. I used to draw the Sony Rises Landscape as the train passed through it.

Did you have any preconceived ideas or plans for your work before embarking on the artists' camp?

I think I was interested in walking the lengths of the walls as walking is a way I gather material for my work normally. The work wasn't preconceived but the method was somewhat although it wasn't what I did in the end.

How would you describe your artistic practice from concept to making?

I normally walk and take photographs and make notations. I omitted the walking in this project but took black and white photographs mainly and made a few notes. We didn't have as much time to spend I individual places as I normally would do but this just made me go about it in a different way.

What is it about the Western Districts that inspired you?

Well, what inspired me was the relationship of the sky to the land and the vastness of certain views, the clouds sweeping across the sky.

What did you hope to capture in your work?

I wanted to capture a timelessness or an indication of the age of the place long before any human habitation.

Is this your usual practice or did the project bring about a new direction?

It didn't bring about a new direction - more it revived a former way of working which was OK too

 

 

The Stony Rises Project

A NETS Victoria Touring Exhibition developed by the RMIT Design Research Institute. Curators: Lisa Byrne, Professor Harriet Edquist and Associate Professor Laurene Vaughan

Presented by: