Crafting Instruments for a Sea of Noise

Crafting Instruments for a Sea of Noise - Art/Science Collaboration in Antarctica and the Mediterranean

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Donald Fortescue creates sculptural ‘instruments’, installations, video, sound works and images which reframe our view of the world. He is interested in revealing energies and events which are beyond our usual perception together with the human experiences and histories which underlie our understanding of the natural world. He employs a wide-range of contemporary digital technologies such as modified photographic images, video, recorded and treated sound and digital modeling and fabrication. These are used in tandem with craft-based techniques from contemporary studio craft, sculpture, seafaring, musical instrument making, and the histories of scientific discovery. His work highlights the rich history of human engagement with the natural world and our evolving efforts to find our place within it.

In 2019, Donald completed his Ph.D. at the Australian National University where his research focused on the congruencies between the methodologies, aspirations and limits of science and art and involved field work in the Arctic (the Svalbard Archipelago) and the Antarctic. The Antarctic project was conducted in collaboration with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the South Pole and with the support of a US National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists and Writers Fellowship. Donald’s close engagement with high energy particle astrophysics is continuing in a new collaboration with the Km3NeT Neutrino Observatory in the Mediterranean Sea. Donald will share his recent research and creative process in his talk.

About the Speaker

Donald Fortescue is an artist, writer, curator and educator. He is a professor of art and design at the California College of the Arts (CCA) in San Francisco. He was born in Sydney, Australia, where he studied zoology and botany for his first degree, and worked as a botanical consultant and scientific illustrator for many years. He has exhibited in Australia, the US, Europe, Asia and South America. His work is in the permanent collections of the National Gallery of Australia, the Powerhouse Museum in Sydney, the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, the Houston Museum of Fine Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and other institutions.

Arriving at the Hedberg

• For those attending in person, please arrive by 5:15pm via the main to the building on the corner of Campbell and Collins Street.
• You will be greeted by our staff on arrival and asked to use the temperature scanning system to check in.
• From 15th January 2022, anyone coming to our campuses, facilities and events is required to be fully vaccinated or have an exemption. Masks must be worn at this event
• Accessible Facilities: The Vanessa Goodwin Room is located on Level 4 with elevator access from the main entrance at 19-27 Campbell St, Hobart TAS 7000.

Attending online

• The link to join the Zoom Webinar will be included in your email confirmation.