The Hattree (Burning Seed 2018)
My first idea for a large sculpture and my first chance to bring it into fruition thanks to the help of an art grant from Burning Seed Festival, the regional Australian Burn held in Matong State Forest, New South Wales each year.
The original inspiration comes from a Bugs Bunny/ Elmer Fudd cartoon called 'Bugs Bonnets' and a desire to give people a chance to play with different characters as denoted by hats, the premise being that clothes subtly change our perception of ourselves and how people relate to us. For me the discovery of costume and the character exploration it involves has been a fundamental shift in my creativity and something I wish to gift to others.
Below is the The Hattree in its first permutation ready to be beta tested at Burning Seed, it does not have its lighting set up installed due to time limitations, this and some extra 'mini sets' to further people's interactions with it and each other are currently under development.