Perdita Phillips

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Biography

Based in Fremantle, Australia, Phillips has an experimental practice that works across multiple media including book art/book design, digital art, drawing, collage, photography, video, installation art, sculpture and found objects, walking and mapping. She writes about art and is founder/editor of Lethologica Press. Perdita has received numerous grants, awards, and prizes, including overall runner-up 2014 Community Invitation Art Award, City of Joondalup, the Fremantle Print Award in 2000 and two Australia Council Inter Arts Grants with SymbioticA for 'The Sixth Shore' Residency (2009-2010) and for 'Green, Grey or Dull Silver' (2007-2008). Her PhD, 'fieldwork/fieldwalking' was about art and science in the field. She has written about termites, thrombolites, sustainability, bowerbirds, canetoads and ecosytemic thinking and curated exhibitions about diagrams, collaboration and book art.

Solo Exhibitions

2013
fast|slow|complex
Spectrum Project Space, Edith Cowan University

2012
Cusp residency
Blend(er), Joondalup, Perth

2009
In Vetland
School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University

2009
In Vetland: conversations in association with Three animal artists: Three visions
Newcastle Art Space, Newcastle

2007
Thinking skin
A collaboration with anthropologist Jane Mulcock), Animals and Society II: Considering animals, Old Woolstores, Hobart

2006
Vade mecum
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth

2006
fieldwork/fieldwalking
Moores Building Contemporary Art Gallery, Fremantle

2004
Semi
Spectrum Project Space and Kurb Gallery, Perth

2004
Four Tales from Natural History
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth

2002
Passing Place
Kesselhaus, Germany

2001
Termitaria I Caution Workers Below and Termitaria II Fragmented Islands
Ballidu Art Lodge, Ballidu

2001
Pasteur. Synecdoche.
Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle

2001
Dreaming Alternative Pasts: when the colour of salmon gum was a part of our daily lives
Kellerberrin Folk Museum, Kellerberrin, as part of IASKA Open Spaces Program

2001
The Ashness Bridge Room and Some More Experimentations
Junction Gallery, Midland

1999
Fieldwork
Hydraulics Lab, Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London

1997
Workers on Paper
Gallery 1434, University of California, Santa Barbara

1996
O
Moores Building, Fremantle

1996
Watershed
Moores Building, Fremantle

1990
1. Extent of space considered with regard to its sufficiency for some implied or specific purpose; free or open space. 2. A space for occupancy or...
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts

Group Exhibitions

2015
Horizon: Exploring the West Coast with The Clipperton Project
Fremantle Arts Centre (2014-2015)

2015
2° - Global Warming and its Environmental Impact
Worldwide site specific works curated by AININ for artCOP21 (Paris).

2015
Bunbury Biennale 2015
Bunbury Regional Art Gallery, Bunbury

2014
2014 Community Invitation Art Award
City of Joondalup

2014
InConversation
Spectrum Project Space, Edith Cowan University

2014
Pica Salon 2014
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth

2014
Canopy: Into the forest
Mundaring Arts Centre, Mundaring

2013
Novel Ecologies
Cross Arts Projects, Sydney

2013
Momentum: 21st Anniversary Exhibition
Perth Centre for Photography

2013
Bunbury Biennale 2013
Bunbury Regional Art Galleries, Bunbury

2013
Time, the deer, is in the wood of Hallaig/ Tha tìm, am fiadh, an Coille Hallaig
St John on Bethnal Green, London

2013
Testing Ground
Salamanca Arts Centre, Hobart, touring to Devonport Regional Gallery, Flinders University Art Museum, Hazelhurst Regional Gallery, Bundoora Homestead Arts Centre (2013-2015)

2012
Yonder
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth

2012
Adaptation
INQB8 Mandurah Contemporary Art Gallery, Mandurah, touring to Katanning Art Gallery, Katanning and Cannery Arts Centre, Esperance

2011
Visceral: The Living Art Experiment
Science Gallery, Dublin

2010
Melbourne 2010: How Can a Network….?
South Project, West Wing, Melbourne

2009
The Yellow Vest Syndrome
Fremantle Arts Centre, Fremantle

2007
Open studio
Walking and Art Residency, Banff Centre, Canada

2007
The System of Nature
Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands

1992
The Original National Graduate Show
Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts, Perth

Awards

2014
Overall Runner up 2014 Community Invitation Art Award
City of Joondalup

2012
Minnawarra Art Award $1000 Acquisitive Prize

2012
Promotion and Marketing Grant
Department of Culture and the Arts

2010
Department of Culture and the Arts funding
Birdlife limited edition book (as Lethologica Press)

2009
Australia Council Inter Arts Grant with SymbioticA
The Sixth Shore project

2007
Department of Culture and the Arts Artsflight
To attend Banff Centre residency, Banff, Canada

2007
Australia Council Inter Arts SymbioticA Art and Science Residency
Australia Council Inter Arts SymbioticA Art and Science Residency

2005
ArtsWA funding
For strange strolls exhibition

2002
AFWA Basel Exchange Artist
(ArtsWA funding)

2001
Commendation, City of Perth Cultural Award

Collections

Armadale City Council collection

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, Murdoch University

Cosmology Gallery, Gravity Discovery Centre, Gingin

Scotch College Analemmatic Sundial, Swanbourne

South Atwell Public Art Project

Waalitij Collection, York

Timebrook Community Artwork, Hartfield Federation Park, Forrestfield

Department of Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London, United Kingdom

Private collections, Australia, UK, USA, Canada

Publications

2015
First and Last Port of Call
for Portals: Past Present Future exhibition Western Australian Maritime Museum http://www.perditaphillips.com/portfolio/first-and-last-port-of-call/

2015
Artistic Practices and Ecoaesthetics in Post-sustainable Worlds
in An Introduction to sustainability and aesthetics: The arts and design for the environment http://www.perditaphillips.com/portfolio/artistic-practices-and-ecoaesthetics-in-post-sustainable-worlds/

2014
Working it out along the way…
by John Barrett-Lennard for the exhibition fast|slow|complex

2014
Speculative ecologies: Ann Finnegan: Cross Art Projects, Novel Ecologies
Finnegan, A. in RealTime, (119), 54. http://www.realtimearts.net/article.php?id=11493

2013
Perdita Phillips – Sounding and thinking like an ecosystem
(co-author Merle Patchett). Antennae: The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture 27 114-128 http://www.antennae.org.uk/back-issues-2013/4583481046

2012
Over & down yonder & beyond. Laetitia Wilson: Yonder, PICA.
Wilson, L. RealTime(112), 44. http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue112/10927

2012
Fieldwork with bowerbirds
Antennae: The Journal of Nature in Visual Culture 20 (Spring): 98-105, http://www.antennae.org.uk/back-issues-2012/4583477699

2012
Walk 'til you run out of water
for the themed issue On Foot. Performance Research: A Journal of the Performing Arts 17(4), 97-109 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13528165.2012.671078

2011
When Artists Enter the Laboratory
Dixon, D., Straughan, E., & Hawkins, H. Science Magazine, 331(6019), 860 from http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6019/860.1.short

2011
Synergistic art
Martin, C. The Lancet, 377(9766), 630 http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)60217-1/fulltext?rss=yes

Residencies

2013
fast|slow|complex
Spectrum Project Space, Edith Cowan University

2013
Field_Notes – Deep Time workshop
Finnish Society of Bioart at the University of Helsinki Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, Lapland, Finland

2013
P A A residency
The Cross Art Projects, Kings Cross, Sydney

2012
cusp residency
Blend(er) Gallery, Joondalup

2009
The Sixth Shore Residency
SymbioticA for the Adaptation project at Lake Clifton, Mandurah

2009
Art meets Veterinary Science residency
Murdoch University School of Veterinary & Biomedical Sciences

2007
Australia Council SymbioticA Artist in Residence
Green, Grey or Dull Silver: art and the behavioural ecology of the Great Bowerbird, Chlamydera Nuchalis, The University of Western Australia

2007
Walking and Art thematic residency
Banff Centre, Banff Canada

2006
Vade Mecum
Perth Institute of Contemporary Art, Perth

2002
AFWA Basel Exchange Artist
Switzerland/Germany

Perdita Phillips
Digital/electronic media, Installation art, Photography

Artist Statement

Perdita is an interdicisplinary artist who often refers to the environment, science and ecology in her work. She has a strong interest in walking art, socially engaged practice, landscapes and ecosystems. Amongst other things she takes photographs, films things and makes books, prints, mixed media drawings, sculptures, sound art and installations.