Symposium | The Australian Object Session 3: Objects and ecologies of Sydney | Deborah Beck

'Heavy metal: the six-inch nail'

Presented by Deborah Beck, National Art School

In 2016 a large hand-forged nail fell out of the wall of the Cell Block Theatre and landed on the floor. This rare but humble object had been embedded in the fabric of the building for at least 175 years. Originally made to secure the huge king post truss roof of the Women’s Cell Block of Darlinghurst Gaol, it had survived the removal of the wooden trusses in 1958. Out of the hundreds originally made for the Cell Block roof, it is the only example of a nail wrought by a blacksmith in the National Art School archives. This paper will examine the history and unique architecture of the Cell Block Theatre – extending the idea of the object to encompass a building that has been witness to our colonial, social, and cultural history. Like the building itself, the found nail represents an evocative object that can prompt stories and memories of the thousands of former inhabitants and visitors. The history of this building also offers an insight into the ideas that motivated and influenced a generation of multi-disciplinary artists who had a large impact on the development of current art forms.

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The Australian Object: Material Culture in Context

October 3-4 2019
National Art School, Darlinghurst

This two-day symposium presents new scholarly research on the material culture of Australia. It addresses the rich diversity of objects and the processes, knowledge, and meanings embedded therein. Our purpose is to revitalise the discourse on marginalised media and quotidian culture and bring scholars, artists, curators and collectors into productive dialogue. Focusing on making meaning through materials, this symposium reinforces the National Art School’s core emphasis on object-led art practices and histories.

Despite renewed interest in material culture, the conversation about objects often remains siloed in discrete disciplines of anthropology, archaeology, design history and museology. Building on the material turn in art history, this symposium aims to explore productive interdisciplinary methodologies for engaging with Australian objects. In particular, our approach aims to draw into conversation objects that have been previously occluded in these discourses.

To prioritise the object and foster dialogue, each presentation will take the form of a 20-minute case study of an Australian object. Case studies will address the object’s material and sensorial properties and the specific aesthetic frameworks through which it has acquired meaning and value, including how production, use, circulation and exchange has shaped the life of the object. Case studies may also consider how these objects connect with, undermine, or complicate notions of art, taste, authenticity, tradition, value, identity, and nationhood broadly defined.