The Longford Project in Alchemy: Art & Philosophy, group exhibition, Sydney College of the Arts Galleries, 11-27 July 2012.
Curated by Nicholas Tsoutas, developed from an idea initiated by Mireille Astore.
Artists: Mireille Astore, Cigdem Aydemir, Elizabeth Day, Anne Ferran, Anna Gibbs, Lisa Jones, Noelene Lucas, Tom Loveday, Jacqueline Millner, Nuha Saad, John von Sturmer, Michael Tawa and Mark Titmarsh.
Alchemy is an initiative that sought to create a condition of possibility for philosophers, writers and artists to work collaboratively in Sydney. In order to generate through dialogue synchronous and collaborative works, Alchemy sat at the intersection of thought and practice.
In Alchemy, artists and writers sought to dissolve old borders as they move towards new formations as a destination, in the liminal space of what may be possible and impossible. There, they traversed the fertile terrains of saturated states, of pedagogical creativity, of contagious processes, and the very foundations of colour all the while questioning a myriad of global indigenous processes and administered realities. Some attempted to unpack our post-colonial present, others deliberated the unravelling of localised personas. A few examined the language of birds while others sought to disentangle the transmutation of colonial birdlife itself. But however diverse the themes, Alchemy generated theoretical and aesthetic inquiries and invited us to question the very nature of the Art and Philosophy nexus.
ELIZABETH DAY 