Armada (2006)
Acrylic and pencil on paper
Collection of Wellington City Council
Armada is a suite of 10 pencil drawings on painted canvasses that were created as a response to a popular media event - the fleet of icebergs that were sighted drifting off the coast of New Zealand's South Island in November 2006.
An Introduction to the Theory of Everything
21 December, 2006 - 11 Feburary, 2007, Hirschfeld Gallery (City Gallery Wellington)
Curated by Jessica Reid
"An Introduction to the Theory of Everything presented four new projects marrying the everyday with ideas of the fantastical, theoretical and the metaphysical. The title of the show acknowledges the appeal of the search for an elusive Theory of Everything; a mathematical formula which neatly encompasses and makes sense of all systems at play in the physical world.
The artists in An Introduction to the Theory of Everything demonstrate their own various approaches to investigating some of the world's big phenomena, examining such diverse areas as medical and environmental science to quantum mechanics. However, the processes and resources they use relate to what they have at hand - a DIY pseudo-scientific approach which allows for discrepancies, ambiguities and the potential of chance.
...concerned with re-creating the natural world, Bronwyn Smith's drawings represent her marvel at that beyond which we can see. In Armada Smith turned her focus to the large breakaway icebergs that featured in the media during November 2006 as they drifted towards New Zealand's southern coastline. Sourcing images of these icebergs off the Internet, Smith attempted to re-create them by covering household objects with fabric and subsequently rendering their hidden shadowy forms on canvas. The drawings' potential for multiple readings define Armada as a delicate gesture, rich with cultural comment..."
Jessica Reid
Michael Hirschfeld Gallery Curator
