Exhibition for the senses at Arts and Cultural Centre this autumn

Published on 13 February 2024

Alysha Fewster in her studio, Muloobinba, 2024. Picture by Alysha Fewster.jpg

Visitors to Singleton Arts and Cultural Centre this autumn will be treated to a truly immersive experience, one where they will become part of the exhibition.

Opening at the SACC on Friday 23 February, the IN & OF exhibition by artist and University of Newcastle PhD candidate Alysha Fewster gives visitors the opportunity to step into the landscape rather than just view it on the walls of the gallery.

Vicki Brereton, Council’s Director Organisation and Community Capacity, said IN & OF would be like no other exhibition the SACC has hosted since opening its doors in 2022.

“We’ve had exhibitions showcasing our people, significant Aboriginal sites in the Singleton Hunter Valley, etchings by Rembrandt and some of Australia’s top contemporary artworks but IN & OF will showcase a whole new exhibition experience at the Arts and Cultural Centre,” she said.

“The main gallery will be transformed into an exhibition experience. The installation will be hung from the roof and walls and made to move like it is living and breathing.

“Our visitors will be able to walk through, sit or lay down in this installation, becoming fully immersed in it.

“This means that our visitors become part of the exhibition, which is truly a one-of-a-kind experience that we’re encouraging everyone to be part of at the SACC this autumn.”

IN & OF is the culmination of Ms Fewster’s PhD research, which investigates how contemporary art can be used to represent ideas of the self as part of place.

Through her immersive installation, Ms Fewster explores the way that the edges of things are places of coming together rather than points of separation.

In addition to the immersive installation, short films by Ms Fewster exploring light, movement and texture will be shown during the exhibition.

Visitors will also be invited into a making space to create their own artworks from natural materials, in response to Ms Fewster’s installation.

This component will be on display in Studio 1, growing as pieces are added to it throughout the IN & OF exhibition period from 24 February – 7 April 2024.

IN & OF will open in the main gallery of the SACC from 6pm on 23 February. It is free to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Ms Fewster will give an artist talk on her exhibition at the SACC on Thursday 7 March from 6pm. This is also free to attend but registration is required.

For more information about this exhibition, or to register for Ms Fewster’s artist talk, visit: www.singletonartsandculturalcentre.com.au