From dioramas to dolls' houses, atomic models to cloud-chambers, mandalas to maquettes, 'A Working Model of the World' gathers together charismatic objects created to help us understand the world around us and imagine new possibilities. The exhibition explores the way models are used to create and share knowledge, and asks how we use models to contemplate, experiment, invent and teach.
Presenting outstanding new and existing artworks alongside emblematic and evocative models borrowed from public, private and research collections, the exhibition stages a conversation between different forms of material thinking from many disciplines. The exhibition features artists who examine the role of models in human experience, and deploy techniques and forms of model-making in their work.
Curated by Lizzie Muller (UNSW Art & Design) & Holly Williams (The Curators' Department)
Lenders
Andrea Durbach
CSIRO
City of Sydney
Durbach Block Jaggers
MACBA
Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences
The University of Sydney
Casula Powerhouse
Private and Corporate Collections
Artists
Brook Andrew
Corinne May Botz
Ian Burns
caraballo-farman
Maria Fernanda Cardoso
Kate Dunn
David Eastwood
Emily Floyd
Andrea Fraser
Jeff Preiss
Glen Hayward
Peter Hennessey
Jo Law
Tony Mott
Palle Nielsen
Kenzee Patterson
Sascha Pohflepp & Chris Woebken
Esme Timbery
Esme Timbery, (Untitled) Opera House 2002.
Installation view, 'A Working Model of the World', UNSW Galleries, 2017.
Photograph: Silversalt Photography
Emily Floyd, Kesh Letterpress 2016.
Installation view, 'A Working Model of the World', UNSW Galleries, 2017.
Photograph: Silversalt Photography
Tony Mott, Model Train series 2014.
Installation view 'A Working Model of the World', UNSW Galleries, 2017.
Photograph: Silversalt Photography
Installation view, 'A Working Model of the World', UNSW Galleries, 2017.
Pictured: Brook Andrew Tombs of Thought: Water 2017; Andrea Durbach and The Upington 2 Matchstick Boat 1990.
Photograph: Silversalt Photography
Acknowledgements
Developed and presented in partnership with UNSW Galleries, Sydney Australia; the Sheila C. Johnson Design Center, Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York, USA; and The Curators’ Department, Sydney, Australia. The exhibition will be shown in New York from Sep-Dec 2017.
'A Working Model of the World' is curated specifically for university galleries. It is designed to draw from and to draw together research from across the university, including science, sociology, architecture, art and economics. In each venue, the exhibition actively engages with staff and students, using the gallery as a site of cross-disciplinary research and teaching. It demonstrates the unique role university galleries can play in engaging audiences (both within and without the university) in research and knowledge production.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.
Image
Image courtesy of Kenzee Patterson and Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney. Photograph: Alex Reznick