Lindy McSwan: Material sites

THURSday 16 FEBRUARY 2023
5–7pm

SITE EIGHT Gallery
RMIT University, Building 2, Level 2, Room 8
Bowen Street, Melbourne

Lindy McSwan's Master of Fine Art completion exhibition opens at SITE EIGHT Gallery this Thursday.

Lindy McSwan 
Material sites: Observations of the Australian steel industry through the vessel 

The mild steel vessel is the foundation of my silversmithing practice. With a strong material focus, my research project investigated the life cycle of steel. Physical and visual materials were collected on field trips to Iron Knob and the iron ore mining area of the Middleback Ranges, and the Whyalla and Port Kembla Steelworks. Photography enabled me to capture the monumental scale of detail within the steelworks informing creative outputs presented in this exhibition.  

Unexpectedly, connections to surfaces and structures of the steelworks came about through necessity when I began working with corrugated cardboard and handmade pigments during long and repeated COVID lockdowns during my candidature. 

Opening Viewing: 
5pm–7pm Thursday 16 February

Additional Viewing Times:
3pm–5pm Thursday 16 February
10am–2pm Friday 17 February

Image: Lindy McSwan, To Cart Carry Convey, 2022, mild steel, vitreous enamel, ground iron ore, dimensions vary (Photo: Fred Kroh)