KATI Eyles was delighted when she learned she’d be working beside visual artist Kate Geck for an exhibition in Federation Square.
“When I was growing up, Kate was someone I looked up to as an artist and musician,” says the 26-year-old Footscray resident.
“I really admired her and when I got selected for the Habitat exhibition I chose Kate as my mentor and she said yes.”
Ms Eyles is one of nine emerging young artists who, together with their artistic mentors, will be part of the exhibition — a project of Rudder Exchange Visual Arts Mentoring Partner-ships.
The Rudder initiative, run by Artful Dodgers Studios in Collingwood, is a program of Jesuit Social Services offering young people the chance to work alongside artists.
Ms Geck, 29, has exhibited internationally and lectures in multimedia at the Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE.
The Yarraville resident specialises in installations, using mediums such as electronics, textiles and video. “I have an interest in sensory spaces that can trigger the senses.”
Ms Eyles is exploring the intersections of science, technology and art.
The pair has created a multi-faceted exhibit for Habitat. Ms Geck has created video installations with kaleidoscopes swirling over a screen. Beside it will sit Ms Eyles’ contribution of “obsolete technologies with coloured crystals growing on them”. Her theme of ‘collapse’ is “a vision of what the world will look like in 10,000 years and what future archaeologists may find”.
“It’s an overload of different colours,” she says.
And the name of their exhibit? Well it’s a little complicated given that the titles of the installations are made up of symbols, emoticons and different fonts.
The artists often create works together at a studio in Footscray.
“Working together is really fun and easy; we have the same ideas and communicate well,” says Ms Eyles, who studies at Victoria University and hopes to “keep making beautiful things”.
Habitat is at the National Gallery of Victoria studio at Federation Square until September 30.
It’s open 10am-5pm, Sunday-Wednesday, and 10am-10pm, Thursday-Saturday. Entry is free.
Details: ngv.vic.gov.au
