Alex Sanson
From an initial series of small playful and toy like sculptures in the early 90s, my sculptural and design practice has developed along three intertwined paths: kinetic and other sculpture; large scale outdoor installations and architectural and domestic design and metal work.
Various projects within each overlapping area have been:
Kinetic and other sculpture:
• A solo exhibition Metaforms in June of 2004 at The Foundry. I showed both small to medium scale steel sculpture, including several kinetic pieces and some sculptural furniture. The work explored the divide between the natural and constructed worlds, particularly through attempts to infuse in the heavy cold industrial material of steel some of the qualities of form, playfulness and above all, movement of the natural world.
• Installation of kinetic pieces in the Toorak Festival of Sculpture and the Yering Station Sculpture Competition (winner of the People’s Choice Award);
Large scale outdoor immersive installations:
• A large scale installation, Material World, in Federation Square, Melbourne. Commissioned by Melbourne Fringe Festival, with other key artists (community and theatre) Ian Pidd and Jessica Wilson, Material World sought to explore and express some of the more personal and intimate stories of what it is to be a refugee in Australia today. It did this through the domestic environment of a ‘house’, the private secure space and sanctuary that we all generally take for granted. Our Material World house was constructed of thousands of personal objects of significance to our project participants, with various film and other installations to discover inside.
• An interactive, kinetic and multimedia installation, Small Revolutions, in Federation Square, Melbourne. Commissioned by Melbourne Fringe Festival and designed with other key artists (community and film) Nadja Kostich and Jeremy Angerson. This project explored relationships between children and their grandparents and sought to challenges stereotypes associated with the elderly. Inside a large geodesic dome an immersive and dynamic environment was created featuring film and audio made with substantial community input and my primary responsibility, a ‘rolling ball’ sculpture where balls moved along twisting, linked and sometimes unpredictable paths that served as metaphors for people’s journeys through life. It had various points of interaction symbolizing key events and meeting points and moments of delight and excitement but also times for quiet contemplation and consideration.
• Two installations at WOMAD , Adelaide, 2003.
• Installation of kinetic indoor and outdoor pieces at the Sydney launch of Earthdance International Peace Festival at Brickworks Park and Newtown Social Club.
• An outdoor piece for aRtECYCLE at Incinerator Arts Centre in Moonee Ponds.
• A very large scale integrated stage, shading and mechanical sculpture installation at The Outback Eclipse Festival in Lyndhurst, South Australia, 2002.
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Architectural and domestic design and metal work:
• An interactive tactile fountain for the SCOPE Chelsea Day Centre for people with cerebral palsy.
• Custom furniture designs.
• Various domestic design projects including gates, fences, architectural trellises and more.
• Technical design and fabrication of steel work for landscape architects Site Office for two of their urban design projects.
• A bar, mezzanine and sculptural lighting installation at the Japanese restaurant and bar Wabi Sabi Salon in Fitzroy, and later Wabi Sabi Garden in St Kilda.
• Various entrance features, crests and gates for the schools Merri Creek Primary, Brunswick South Primary, Brunswick West Primary, Melbourne German International School and Preston West Primary School.
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I am passionate about creating immersive works that can become part of a living space, that people can exist in, with and around, that inform and hopefully delight the senses. Particularly, I seek to create works that induce a sense of joy and engagement with the world around us.
I am available for commissioned work, furniture, custom steel work for domestic or commercial installation and sculpture ranging from small indoor pieces to very large scale outdoor installations.
