October 15, 2025 • 48 mins
Step into Spectra, our favourite kind of transformation story: a Melbourne hotel lobby that shifts from tasteful neutral to living artwork through colour, narrative, and fearless collaboration. We sit down with artists Rowena Martinich and Geoffrey Carran to unpack how a site-responsive palette drawn from bushland greens, clay tones, and marble textures became the foundation for abstract fields, hyper‑real native birds, and crystalline forms that feel born of the place—not pasted on.
We dive into the craft behind the magic. Rowena breaks down her layered process—poured paint, broom-wide gestures, wipe-backs, and selective cropping—while Geoffrey reveals how native birds perched on mineral geometries create a dialogue between softness and edge, ecology and time. Then we go underfoot: working with Godfrey Hirst Commercial in Geelong, the team turned carpet into an immersive medium using inkjet technology to deliver colour-rich, compliant flooring that guides how people move and feel. It’s a case study in why art should be briefed early, not sprinkled on at the end.
Beyond the lobby, we head out to regional Victoria where silos become story towers. Geoffrey shares the planning, wind-watching, and composition choices behind a 28-metre piece that nods to the Mallee emu‑wren and the science of anthocyanins—those stress pigments that turn plants incandescent—mirroring the resilience of local communities. We talk cultural tourism, placemaking, and why public art expands who gets to experience art in the first place. Along the way, you’ll hear honest shop talk about night-shift ceilings, partnerships that thrive on critique, and the courage it takes to choose colour at home and in hospitality.
If you care about interior design, public art, hotels, or simply how spaces can make people feel more alive, this one’s for you. Subscribe to Design Anatomy, share this episode with a colour-shy friend, and leave us a review with the one space you’re ready to transform next.
Web & Instagram:
Rowena Martinich & @rowenamartinich
Geoffrey Carran & @geoffreycarran
Bree is now offering a 90-minute online design consult to help you tackle key challenges like colour selection, furniture curation, layout, and styling. Get tailored one-on-one advice and a detailed follow-up report with actionable recommendations—all without a full-service commitment.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 2 (00:00):
Welcome to Design Anatomy, the Interior Design
Podcast hosted by friends andfellow designers, me, Bree
Banfield, and me, Lauren Li,with some exciting guest
appearances along the way.
We're here to break downeverything from current trends
to timeless style.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And today we are so honoured to be speaking with
some artists that we adore,Rowena and geoffrey today.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
They have such a huge celebrated history of public
art, large-scale murals andspatial activation, and have
transformed urban landscapesboth locally and
internationally.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
They've worked with some of Australia's leading
architects and interiordesigners to create bespoke
immersive art experiences inboth domestic and commercial
environments.
And recently, Bree and I werefortunate to post a panel
discussion with Rowena andgeoffrey about their new work,
Spectra, which marked asignificant evolution in their
(00:54):
practice, extending theirexpressive, abstract aesthetic
beyond the canvas and into thebuilt environment.
It was so stunning.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
That was beautiful.
And you may have been fortunateenough to see it during
Melbourne Design Week.
But beyond that work in hotels,both of them have also been
commissioned to activatehospitals, food courts, silos,
building facades, and even trainstations, as well as
collaborate with major brandssuch as Dulux, Mecca Cosmetica,
and Nike.
(01:24):
And their ability to seamlesslyintegrate art into diverse
environments continues tochallenge conventional notions
of artistic application.
And I guess how do we knowRowena and geoffrey?
I've known them for way toolong.
Um I worked with you both on aDulux collaboration.
(01:46):
That would have been maybe over10 years ago, really.
Was it over 10 years ago?
It sounds so.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Um, where we created some amazing artwork.
Oh, they did.
I just watched it happen.
Um, based on one of theforecast trends in studio.
And actually, I post some ofthose images from that because
they're still amazing, likefabulous stuff.
And I loved, always loved thefact that you guys were so great
working together.
And you know, I'm excited totalk about that a little bit
(02:14):
more.
And Lauren, I think you reallyonly just met Rowen and
geoffrey, but you knew of theirwork, right?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Exactly.
Like obviously, known of theirwork for many years.
So yeah, I think when I firstmet you guys, I was kind of
embarrassed because I just uh Idon't know, you guys are so
lovely.
And the art I I did, I cried alittle bit.
It was emotional.
Oh but um so welcome.
(02:40):
It's so nice to be talking toyou on the Design Anatomy
podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Well, well, thanks for having us.
We're doing here.
Speaker (02:47):
We're really happy to be here.
So good.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And thanks for the intro.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
We like to talk people up.
Um, I think one of the thingsthat we would love to touch on
and that we just we've spoken toyou guys about before when we
did the panel at um at Ridgesfor Um Spectra, which was
fantastic and it was so great tohear you talk about your work.
(03:14):
So I'm excited to do it allagain.
But I think it's alwaysfascinating for us to hear about
how you guys actually manage towork together because you do do
a lot of collaborativeprojects, and I don't think
everyone's capable of doing thatwhen they're in a partnership,
you know, a romantic partnershipand a business partnership, it
can be a bit tricky.
So, like what tell just tell usa little bit about how you guys
(03:36):
manage that, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
The process is an ongoing process of I don't know.
I I think we we would just thatinitial spark hasn't
disappeared, it just keepsevolving.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
So nice.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I'm gonna make Lauren cry again.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
And it's reignited every time we do another project
because there's like limitlesspossibilities, and we work so
well as a team together that itactually makes facilitating
those projects easier.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Why why do you think you do like that?
Why do you think it works sowell?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Rose is quite entrepreneurial in her outlook.
She loves initiating new ideasand seeing collaborations and
pathways, and then I likesupporting and facilitating
that.
And I and I get excited by thatprocess too.
Speaker (04:22):
I think also just each other's practice.
We we're inspired by eachother's practice and where we
can um support each other andand take it to the next level.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, that helps.
Because I I I love Rose workand I'm always in awe how she
manages to do it because I'vetried doing abstract and it's
really it's not easy.
I it's like I always have an uha solid outcome in mind, and
sometimes the creative pathtakes you down a different road,
but with abstract, that roadhas got limitless paths to
travel on.
(04:51):
So um, and then applying thatto a specific project, yeah,
that just adds a different layeraltogether.
Speaker (04:57):
I think also it works both being artists, because as
an artist, you live a prettysolitary existence.
You work in isolation in yourstudio and can go days without
speaking to someone else ifyou're deep in that creative
process.
But we we almost critique eachother along the way and we can
make those business planningdecisions together and
(05:19):
strategize how we're gonna rollthe year out together rather
than just always working in avacuum, which is a massive trap
for creatives.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, I can imagine too.
So you get, I guess you'regetting the best of both worlds
where you both understand eachother and are able to support
each other so that you're notfeeling it that isolation.
So I guess it's a bonus for youboth.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well Yeah, you got that sounding board.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And I guess like for for me as well, like I work with
my husband in the business andI I don't know, you sort of just
you just do it, you don'treally think about it.
So but people are just like, ohmy god, I could never work with
my husband or we drive eachother crazy and stuff.
It's like, oh, we we just likeeach other, we like hanging out,
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, how it's supposed to be, I suppose, isn't
it?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Um I think it can be.
I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, you go.
Well, I was just gonna say,like, with your practice as
well, like your work is quitedifferent.
So um, I think it's that mutualappreciation of something.
Oh well, I've tried that, likeas you say, geoffrey, and I
can't do that.
So you're sort of like in aweof each other, maybe.
Speaker (06:25):
I don't know, Rowena.
Does that go the other way foryou?
I can say the same thing forwatching geoffrey do a silo
piece.
There's no way I could bend mybrain to that either.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So yeah, the huge scale.
Speaker (06:36):
Well, I guess we each other support our strengths
support each other um indifferent ways.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, rather than being competitive.
Yeah, you know, working intrying to outdo each other.
Speaker (06:46):
Different spaces completely, like, but and we
just get on really well, so it'sit's nice to have someone to do
it with.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
And I think that was so beautiful with the the
Spectra installation.
So yeah, it was an installationwithin a hotel lobby for your
sort of seating areas at um ahotel in Melbourne, and just to
see, I think that's what got mewhen we were first meeting.
I was just like, oh my god,there was a piece that you
showed me.
It had Rowena's abstract umsort of work in the background
(07:15):
almost with one of Jeffree'sbeautiful birds painted so like
delicately over the top, andit's just the merging of those
come together, and it just gotme.
I was like, Oh, that is themost beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
That's a very beautiful visceral reaction.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
It was, it was actually, it was really lovely,
and we all kind of felt a littlebit emotional, which probably
sounds a bit weird talking aboutit now to other people.
Like, really, you're cryinglike in you're in a hotel lobby
and you're crying.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Wouldn't be the first time.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It'd usually be for a different reason.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
You had to be there, you had to be there.
Like, I think it was all of it.
It was like the whole immersiveexperience of how you
transformed that lobby space,which was very tasteful, very
neutral, into something just sojoyful and it was so immersive.
So, I guess should we justunpack a little bit of what the
elements were in that space?
Speaker (08:11):
So we came to do the Spectra exhibition as part of
Melbourne Design Week.
And in the process of that, Iapproached Ridges Hotel.
We had a relationship with themanager there because I'd worked
with him in the past in anotherhotel doing QT.
And it looked like a greatcanvas to work with.
It had recently beenrefurbished.
(08:31):
There were beautifulfurnishings in there.
It was quite neutral, but therewere still there were still
coloured elements like a bigclay wall and lots of beautiful
marble and textured dark greenwallpaper.
And I saw it as a greatchallenge to integrate our work
into that space.
For those of you that know mywork, it's it's normally really
(08:51):
bright and poppy.
And in this instance, I wantedto create something that was a
bit more harmonious and subtleand pushed, I guess, my palettes
to work in with this spaceusing the dark greens and the
browns and the clays, but thenalso maintaining the essence of
my work and inserting bits ofhot pink or you know, flashes of
(09:12):
colour that bring activate mypaintings and bring them to
life.
And then so with that as astarting point, we were looking
at where we can take thoseartworks beyond being painted
canvases and looking at thesites and walls that could be
covered in wallpaper, floorsthat could be activated with
rugs or or bespoke carpets, andthen how both geoffrey and my
(09:36):
work come together within thosespaces.
So um pairing the beautifulbird paintings within of almost
like a vignette within thespace, and then how that has a
dialogue with other areas withinthe lobby.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, because it's one space, but it has four
distinct areas, and being alobby is an interesting sort of
space the way people interactwith it.
There's so much energy in thatspace, but uh it still offers
pause and amongst all thatfreneticness.
Um people are coming in fromthe city, people have come from
international travel, or peoplehave been there for a while and
they just need a space to sitand wait or have um or get food
(10:13):
or coffee.
It's a real mingling space, andthat energy is is palpable um
when you go in there, and youcan see people responding to the
different zones.
Like some invite you just to gosit and be quiet, and then
other zones are meeting,chatting, happy spaces.
Speaker (10:28):
Um then others are almost like a work zone or like
a meeting booth or transient inone regard because it's a
corridor through to therestaurant, but also a dwell
time space because there arebooths to sit in that corridor
space.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
And that's where Rose work really comes in.
Her work's like crystallizedenergy, like the way she dances
across the canvas.
Um, and then it and then thatthat energy keeps giving.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
And it it provides to a space.
And so that's sort of whatinformed my paintings as well,
somewhat, is like observing Rosework and thinking about how it
works.
Speaker (11:02):
And then also I guess that comes back to us sharing
the studio space and us creatingthose that body of work in
synchronicity as well anddrawing from the same colour
palettes and responding to eachother's work in real time.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause it is a little bitdifferent.
I guess if you werecollaborating with an artist
that you didn't share a studiowith, it may not feel as
connected, whereas it does feelvery naturally like it evolved.
And you're seeing for me all ofthe colours and how that worked
so closely together.
Yeah.
It just, I think it's the best,your best work ever in a
(11:36):
collaboration.
It just was kind of seamless ina way.
Speaker (11:39):
Yeah, I feel like that as a collaboration, it's the
best work we've done as well,especially the intertwined piece
that we spoke about earlierwith the herons overlaid and but
also harking back.
So the work, I feel like it itworks well in that it's really
site responsive and we arereally mindful of the space that
we're working into and bringingthat to life on another level,
(12:02):
but also harking back to wherewe're coming from, where we live
down here on the coast andreally drawing from our own
environment, looking at thebushland and those colours.
It's almost like we're walkingthrough the tea tree forest down
here with some of those works.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So that was a really strong response from both of us
is the the colour palettes thatwere existing at the time um and
how they were supposed toelicit that sense of Australian
um geomorphism.
Yeah, the colours of the bush,the the ochres of the clay, the
green eucalyptones, that had allbeen specifically um designed
for that space to create thatsort of sense of calm, which
(12:38):
which nature does.
Um, so using that and then as aspecific starting point, like
Roach's how many 11 colours wasit?
Speaker (12:47):
I think there were 12 base colours that I started
with.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And so almost that's very it's a very design-centric
approach to the art, is like,okay, I'm gonna start with these
palettes because we knowthey'll work, and then you'll
put your own personality intothat through how the creative
process unfolds.
Yep.
Um, and then I did the sayingum so that my work would sit
there.
I used those exact samepalettes um that were taken from
(13:11):
the furnishings and and and thefinishes, and then I
incorporated that directly intomy backgrounds, the frames and
the choice of verte.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
It's interesting because you know, if you look at
your work side by side, soRowena's I I loved how you
described that geoffrey umenergy crystallize, is that what
you said?
It's it's very energetic, it'svery crystallized.
Yeah, it's abstract.
So that means I suppose if youdescribe it, maybe I'll let you
describe it, Rowena.
How would you um just for ourlisteners?
(13:40):
We'll put a link in the shownotes so you can just quickly
have a look.
But um for those that aredriving in the car, how would
you describe your work?
What does it look like?
Speaker (13:49):
Uh it's very layered abstract expressionism.
I like to build lots ofcolours, and part of my process
is laying the canvas on thefloor.
So I would pour liquid paintonto the surface and then push
large brushes, say broom-sizedbrushes, through to create like
giant gestures.
I also use a lot of spray and Iwipe back colours as well.
(14:11):
So there's a constant likepush-pull of layers and looking
through layers and windowswithin larger bodies of work.
The original works are alwaysquite big.
And then I pull back and selectthe best parts really.
I crop them in.
Or by working at scale, I'mable to document and then
reproduce, say, the wallpaper ata greater scale as well.
(14:31):
So but uh there's a reallystrong focus on colour for me.
So the challenge of likepushing my usual palette into
this sort of quite neutraldirection, but still having the
essence of my work come through.
That was some the a vision thatI feel like we realized through
this project.
I I love your interpretation ofneutral colours.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Well, there's all I would say maybe they're less
neutral and more natural.
Speaker (14:57):
I mean, I guess all colours are natural, but like
they're not neutral, they'renatural.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, they're not.
Well, they're just different tomy regular.
Yeah, they're less biregular,they still have amazing energy.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And then, geoffrey, would you mind describing what
your pieces look like for ifyou're listening, you can paint
a picture perhaps?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
So the Spectra series, I looked at native birds
that had the same sort ofcolourings with or accents, and
I paired those with nativeminerals and crystals.
So there was a real hard-edgedapproach to counteract the
softness of the birds.
And so you had that fractaline,sharp, reflective nature of
(15:36):
crystals.
Um, and that and that spoke tome of the geological time frames
and and all of that, all ofthat time that's been spent and
turned into one beautiful littlething.
It that's like a bird to me aswell.
And and so these birds are allvibrant in their own fashion,
and then they're they're poisedon top of these crystals.
So it's not real to the scale'snot correct, it's artistic
(15:58):
lessons, but it works all thesame and it creates a dichotomy
where you've got two separatethings working together, and
that extends the narrative ofjust having a bird by itself or
a crystal by itself.
And it's just a celebration ofof Australia's ecology and all
its different forms becausethey're they're born of the same
environment.
One lives on top of it andone's growing in the earth.
(16:18):
But I thought it'd be reallyfun to look at that and look at
place, and and that's whatridges the space sort of spoke
to me about as well, with thecolours and location and people
coming from all over the placeand celebrating, being in
Melbourne, and often it's notfor a creative endeavour.
So they're traveling herebecause they're going out to the
theatre or they want to go tothe galleries.
So to me, it was an excitingspace to work original art into.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Oh, definitely.
And I mean, I think a lot ofpeople they think, well, I'm
gonna go and see some art today.
I'm gonna go to the NGV.
But what a beautiful surprise!Like when we were there, I
noticed um some air hosts, airhostesses coming in and they
were like, Oh, wow, look atthis, and that they get to
experience some original art inthere every day because they in
and out of the way.
Unexpected, yeah, and it's it'sa beautiful thing.
(17:03):
And um, yeah, I think with yourum, you know, your painting
style, sorry if I don't want toget the terminologies wrong, I
don't know, but it's quitehyper-realistic, and then you've
got the contrast of Rowena.
So when you look at them sideby side, you sort of think,
well, they're totally quitedifferent, but coming together
in that space, it was quitespecial.
And then the way that it's laidonto the interiors, and I think
(17:26):
one of my favorite parts aswell was that entry portal.
So it was like one of those umrotating glass doors that you
feel like you could just loseyour arm in or whatever.
I don't know, those ones theyturn around.
But no, it was it was a bitmore safe, I think.
But it was like a glass curvedentry.
And Rowena, you had painted ona mural of your um, you know,
(17:49):
your pieces on there.
And it was that portal thatyou're like entering into some
different experience.
And it was such a beautiful wayto kind of yeah, first get a
sense of what's what's behindthese doors.
Speaker (18:01):
I think that work also gave the front of the hotel a
bit of a presence as well thatwasn't really there.
No, you could easily walk pastthe front of the hotel.
In fact, I think I have manytimes.
Yeah, sort of a bit like agateway setting the scene, um,
which often is how I do workwith um designers in activating
space, like trying to create afirst impression for an
(18:24):
environment that will unfolds asyou experience it.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Yeah, being part of Design Week, um, that it was
like, yeah, you're crew, we'rejust creating that little jewel
that's there for a little bitand then it's gone as well.
So there was that, there wasthat temporality to it, which
that's kind of fun to work with.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Um, tell us about the carpet.
How did that carpet?
I I think that describing itjust wouldn't do it justice
because it was incredible.
The carpet designs that youcame up with, Rowena, but also I
have to say, their actualapplication was so cool, wasn't
it?
Speaker (18:56):
Like it was very intense, the colours.
The carpet was probably themost exciting part of this
project for me.
It was a new, it was somethingI've wanted to do for years, and
it was just a matter of havingthe right opportunity to take it
on as a project.
And we we worked with GodfreyHearst Commercial to make the
carpets.
geoffrey had worked with thempreviously doing a large mural
(19:20):
for them at one of theirfactories.
And so we had that relationshipthere, and we, I guess,
proposed what we wanted to do,and they were all for it.
They were so supportive inletting us, I guess, fulfill our
creative dreams.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Which is exciting for them as well, because they've
got they've got the technologyand it's just sitting there
often underutilized by printingout layers and layers and
hundreds and hundreds of metersof greys and browns and
neutrals.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Whereas it it can do any colour you can yeah.
Speaker (19:52):
It was it would have been so exciting.
Yeah, in making the carpetsthat we made the designs
specifically for this project,and just to see the work
printout in that medium was soexciting, and to like just the
ideas that would flow from thatas far as where you could take
it, like you could do an entireconference room as one bespoke
(20:12):
work if you wanted to, you don'thave to repeat.
You can just very cool, yeah.
It the possibilities wereendless, and for me, doing like
hotel work, like the differentapplications as far as one-off
pieces for each room, yes,hallways.
Very good.
Yeah, yeah.
It's really exciting, yeah.
And also to see how a carpetcould bring a space to life as
(20:35):
well.
I I hadn't ever thought aboutit as much.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well, it's often just a backdrop, isn't it?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Yeah, it is.
It's it's serving a purpose,right?
Um but it it can also bebespoke and using God Godfrey
Hurst's ink uh was it inkjettechnology there.
Um yeah, it it it keeps it,it's all to that Australian
standard.
So it's not like you're doing ahuge investment.
You've got to get carpetanyway, but it could be like
this amazing carpet instead ofit.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, that's so true, right?
It's it's it's there anyway.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Why not actually make it amazing instead of just what
a boy uh every time I go into aspace and and particularly when
there's long runs of it, I'malways looking at it going, oh,
this could just be so muchbetter.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, in hallways and things, it would just and
energize the space.
Whereas I feel like so manytimes in in a hall, in a long
hall in a hotel, or you know,even in a conference center
where there's like lots of doorsand things, that's your
opportunity to actually break upthe space and make it way more
creative.
Speaker (21:31):
Yeah, and also just the fact that they're up the road
from us in Geelong.
Yeah, keeping it so local.
Like local.
The idea of localmanufacturing, quick turnaround
times, sampling, being there forthe printing process and just
really deeply being part of thatside of things as well.
That really inspires me as acreative to be able to be part
(21:52):
of that rolling out of themanufacturing and uh and knowing
that that can be just part ofthe process as an ongoing basis.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Um, I would say, you know, a carpet or you know, the
entry portal would be a largescale artwork for a lot of
artists.
However, I think geoffrey winsin large scale.
Can you tell us a bit aboutyour work in on those really
large scale pieces?
(22:21):
Um, geoffrey?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yes, I can.
I just I just completed a itwas the artwork itself is 28
meters high.
Um can't even.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
That's just ridiculously big.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Yeah.
But it's the same as I I Iobviously there's physical
output, it's a lot higher thanhaving to just paint a painting
in a studio, but it's uh for me,I it's the same thought
process.
I it's just at a differentscale.
Um, but there's a differentskill set that we're talking
about, and it's just likeactually I had to make sure the
ground was level, and you'redealing with the construction
(22:56):
industry because there'sconstruction going on, um, and
there's all these other things.
So it's like all these littlebits and pieces of my past lives
uh uh all come together to workon these bigger projects.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Oh, really?
What are your past lives?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Oh well, I've I've I've worked in landscaping and
construction before, but I'vealso doubt I've been dealing
with the construction industryand being on active sites quite
frequently.
Um dealing with differenttrades and um working on a
project management side ofthings as well, just to just and
just knowing how to communicateand get things achieved.
(23:32):
Because as an artist, you'realways the the afterthought.
And it's just like and it'sjust like uh you actually need
often as not on a on a largescale, things need to be set in
place and you need things to befacilitated for you.
Um and it's so frustrating toturn up and all of a sudden
there's someone else parkedthere, the ground's not level,
um, the site's not prepared.
(23:52):
So being able to actually goand do those things and and and
get them done is really helps onlarge-scale commercial things.
I mean, a lot of us willprobably just outsource that and
just go, nah, I'll come back.
But I like to get things done.
Speaker (24:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So what kind of I I thinkyou're underplaying it a bit
because aside from all of thosebackground tasks, you can
actually still paint a 28-meterhigh painting.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Yeah, I I know because like I make sure the
ground's level, that's the mainthing.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, there's the safety,right?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker (24:23):
I mean, no, I know, I know.
Also, there is just it's anendurance event.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Oh, it was the wind was like it is today, is it was
insane.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
So yeah.
So what what are you so wereyou like on a um scaff or
rigging?
Like how what's to describe tous how scary this is?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
It's not scary, it's 28 meters up.
It was it was a straight boom.
Um, so it's effectively a cranewith a basket on the end of it.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh, that's all I think it's still a bit scary.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Yeah.
It's a big machine, it's notgoing anywhere.
But some of these wind gustsare up to the maximum.
Um, so yeah, just having to getup super early because there
was no wind.
So I was literally there beforesun up every day and um
painting.
Um, yeah, and and alwaysmonitoring the wind because it
would as soon as it would swingaround, you all of a sudden I
couldn't work high anymore and Ihad to work at the so yeah,
(25:15):
just managing how I was going toget it all finished within the
time frame.
Um, once I get rolling, it'ssort of I I just keep thinking
of they break it down intotasks.
Like now I need to do thissection and get these colours.
Speaker (25:31):
There was a lot of preparation though, as well.
Like it's not like geoffrey wasmixing his paint on site,
everything was planned to thefinest detail, yeah.
So that when you're on site,it's just execution.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yeah, because I yeah, I was right uh the latest one I
was running solo, so I didn'thave anyone doing any running
around for me.
So making sure I had everythingsorted.
Yeah.
Had no offside of it.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So where was this latest one?
What was the project?
Where was it?
Speaker 3 (26:00):
It's up in Rainbow, which is in the Maui, um, West
West Worm Maui, north ofHorsham.
So it's about four and a halfhours from here.
And it is a double silo thatthey've put they've actually put
a big structure on the outsideof it with an elevator in it,
and then they cut holes into thesilo.
So this is the first one you'llbe able to walk inside, and
(26:21):
then it the inside's beingactivated with an artwork as
well.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
And then I did the outside.
Yeah.
It was all ri it all had to besite-specific, so it was all
related to um the garden, whichwas there, because Lou Shirling
had been living there this wholetime, and he put in a lot of
gardening, and he was reallyproud of his landscape.
And so it was a bit of a astory there, and we ran with
(26:47):
that.
And he wanted the garden to beextended up, and so that's
exactly what I did.
I I um documented um plants outof his garden and then put in
uh put in a Mali Emi roombecause they used to live all
through that space, but nowthey're there's uh hardly any of
them left, and they're all upin the national park that's to
the north of that area.
(27:07):
So, but that's still wherethat's their traditional um
environment.
Um so I put one in there tohighlight that.
Uh and they're vibrant littlecute birds.
So they're once again, uh it'sa foot in the door.
Everyone loves birds.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So is this part of um how do people experience that?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Are there like tours people go on or yeah, it is
it'll be part of the extendedsilo art tour.
So it's part of a map.
And um, yeah, well, there'sFacebook people are like they're
pretty um fanatical about it,actually.
They they make sure they takethe caravan and go around it and
it pulls in different loops ofthe silo art trail.
Yeah, but it's big, it'slarge-scale tourism for Victoria
(27:45):
as well.
Yeah, pulls in heaps.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
How many have you done?
Are they all silos that sorry?
Two questions at one point.
Yeah, we're just excited.
Answer Lauren's first.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
How how many of the silos have you done?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Oh, I've only done two locations.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
But I've done that one and one in Garoque.
The one in Garoque was threesilos, this was two um together.
Yeah, and the the one I did inGaroque was in 2020, and that
was that was large as well,actually.
Speaker (28:10):
Uh what started off bigger surface.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Yeah, it was massive.
It was like doing a wholefootball field.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Um, I was gonna ask, are all the silos like
non-working silos?
Are they actually silos thatare used?
Okay.
Mostly they're decommissioned.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, decommissioned.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Decommissioned.
Non-working, decommissioned.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Non-working.
Yeah, same thing, right?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And and do you just like work in a big grid?
Like, how do you even I thinkfor me that's the part I can't
get, I mean, obviously theendurance of it is incredible,
but like just getting it soaccurate.
Is that is it just down to youknow, working in literally a a
grid?
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Yes.
When you're painting?
On this one it was.
I was worrying about all thesedifferent ways of doing it, and
then I ended up just going,there's my there's a horizontal
line from start finish down andthen go from there and then
start get get the width right.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
And I like it how you just make it sound so easy.
Speaker (29:05):
Oh, yeah, yeah, you make it sound easy, but I know
it's like you're just paintingviewpoints of the silo of where
this silo is going to be viewedfrom.
And yeah, so it you can't justsort of paint part of it.
You need to know where the fwhere people are looking at it
from.
And also with this on thestructure, they're they're
they're seeing it all the wayup.
So each sort of platform zone,yes, there's a focal point as
(29:27):
well.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yes.
So that comes down to thecomposition and and I guess I
make all these all thesedecisions that are constantly
running and they're sort ofrunning silently in the back of
your brain, and you think aboutbut yeah, this one was
interesting because it was adouble like silo as you move
around, the per the perspectivechanges constantly.
Of course, and that was fun.
Speaker (29:48):
It's also visible from outside of the town.
Oh so as you're driving intothe the town, you see the top of
this silo poking out, and it'smagic.
The focal, the focal point ofthat as well.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Yeah, and this one for me, once again, it was a
colour study.
I needed to make it as vibrantas possible using the subject
matter I had at hand.
So that's what informed it andthe the scale.
Um so this one, the plant was aEuphoria Tragona.
This particular variety hadgone through so many
environmental extremes, it itwas it had the cut the colours
(30:22):
were intense in it.
It had um all these purples andmagentas and scarlets as well
as lime greens.
So from a colour fairyperspective, uh I thought it was
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, sounds stunning.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
And that goes back to the narrative of the piece
because it's um it's it's calledum anthocyanine.
It's a it's a thing that plantsproduce when they're under
stress um through environmentalfactors.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
It's so interesting because what you well, what you
were saying about your pastlives coming together, even in
in your artwork, like it's it'sso many aspects.
Um and when you're you knowcreating these pieces, are you
thinking about what kind ofemotional response you would
like people to kind of bedirected to?
Or is that just you put thatout there for people to I do?
(31:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Well Yeah, I I put it out there for people to respond
in their own way.
I yeah, if it if the coloursand the No, I do love narrative
and I I I everyone will responddifferently, but I do enjoy that
because it createsconversation.
Um yeah, and and and it'ssomething to it's just so
unusual to see something at thatscale and then go, why did why
(31:29):
is it painted there?
Yes and and what and what doesit yeah.
Speaker (31:33):
And I think there's a real really beautiful parallel
between what happens with thoseplants under stress and the
people that live in that area,like all of these farmers and
what they endure to to surviveon a yearly basis.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
Speaker (31:50):
Yeah, and just you know, these it's all also a
glimmer of hope with these emuwrens that you know their
environment, their naturalhabitat no longer being there
because being cleared forfarming and then have measures
that may be in place to bringthem back.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
They are bringing them back in the Murray sunset,
um, the reintroducing them oftheir captive breeding um in
South Australia.
So that's a bit of a nod tothat.
Same with the crystals and thebirds.
I love I love metaphor and Ilove a metaphor.
Yeah, good metaphor.
And it doesn't have to beliteral, right?
It can be poetic or and peoplecan take it as as they will.
(32:27):
But yeah, certainly with umwith with uh it's a plant, but
yeah, it like if you look at theway I've painted it and why I
chose that one and the colours,it does represent the township
and the hardiness of the peoplebecause it's such an extreme
place, it gets so hot in summer.
And when I was here, it waslike negative one, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
So it's very stormy.
And what I love about thosepieces, as you mentioned before,
there's like fanatical peoplethat want to tick off all the
boxes of every single silo artpiece.
And I feel like and I don'tknow if I'm right or wrong, I
really don't know, but are theypart of like the typical sort of
art world that we kind ofimagine?
Or are they people that arejust wanting to have a bit of an
(33:10):
adventure and just I feel likeit's really cool because maybe
it's attracting people thataren't in that galleries,
contemporary art fair type ofworld, which I I just love that,
and people in the town beingable to be so proud of something
in their town and experiencethat artwork every day.
I I just feel like that's someaningful.
And does that sort of give youthat extra sort of sense of
(33:31):
fulfillment with your work?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
It certainly reaches a different audience.
Um it is an I think a lot ofpeople appreciate art, but this
takes it to a next level, andit's a different phenomenon of
this cultural tourism.
Um large artwork uh oftenborders along this borderline
kitsch, often is not large scalesunset.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
It can be there's so not though.
Speaker (34:01):
There's also it's a lot about placemaking and identity,
reinforcing how a town presentsitself and and its values,
yeah.
Because the local communitieshave a bit to do with what you
know what goes on those silos aswell.
You know, it's not justcarnivosh.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
But the the briefs are very tight.
Speaker (34:18):
Oh, okay.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Yeah, yeah, it's not it's not open slatter
creatively.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
But then I feel like you're what you're really good
at too, geoffrey, and and youmake it, you do sound quite
effortless in your descriptionof how there's that story behind
things.
I feel like sometimes that canfeel a bit forced, particularly
if you have been given a reallytight brief, and then you've got
to kind of go, how do I makethis work and have a narrative?
But I think you're really goodat talking about the narrative
(34:47):
behind something very naturally,and then that's what makes the
art feel like it belongs there,like it's it's just connected,
it's connection already.
And then when you explain it,it gives it that next level of
connection.
So I think that, you know, Ilove listening to you talk about
that narrative because itdoesn't sound contrived, it just
sounds very genuine.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Um, and Rowena, um, I I think it's similar in the way
that you've done, you know,commissions with a brand like
Mecha Cosmetica.
People are coming into thestore and they're just totally
immersed in all of this vibrantcolour.
It's so joyful.
And they're not in an artgallery, they're buying the
latest Charlotte Tilbury, Idon't know, whatever.
But um, but um, yeah, can yousort of speak on that, those
(35:31):
kind of commissions and andpeople sort of being able to
experience your art?
Speaker (35:35):
I've always felt that I wanted my art to be accessible.
I wanted people to be able toexperience it without the effort
of going to a gallery space.
So by placing it in the retailspace on a public mural in a
train station, that's where thatcomes to life.
So um, and it it's for me, it'sa much more exciting way to
(35:58):
experience a work if you'refully immersed in it, if it's
part of a window application orpart of part of some branding of
a packaging of what you whatyou've purchased.
Um, it just where the meetingof minds come together, where
that collaboration plays out,that for me, that's where it's
exciting.
And seeing where you can takeart um to the next level.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
And I feel like um, you know, we've talked about
endurance um in terms of thelarge scale, but you've
definitely also experienced somechallenging spaces, um, you
know, painting ceilings and allsorts of things.
Like what's was it the kioskthat one that um I know was a
huge challenge, like trying topaint the ceilings and and only
(36:40):
doing it at night?
Speaker (36:41):
Yeah, that's so that was um that was the ceiling.
Yeah, it was a traumaticexperience.
The ceiling of a shoppingcentre that I took on the city.
Oh, that's why it was ashopping center.
I was traumatically.
Um and I got on site and it waslike there were people
everywhere.
And I just said, we can't workhere during the day, it's not
(37:03):
safe.
And with that, we the projectturned into night shift, and we
were working from 9 pm until wecould no longer stand.
So for about a week and a half,I think it was.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
With a one-year-old.
Speaker (37:15):
With a one-year-old in tow.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh my god.
Um, and just the physicality ofpainting a ceiling in the first
place is quite challenging.
But then to do an abstractpainting and then to have to cut
around every single light and abit of a um it was just so much
bigger than I ever could everhave imagined.
(37:35):
Um, but I've just had learnt avaluable lesson in never to do
it again.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
To me, that also the outcome was amazing though,
right?
Speaker 3 (37:45):
That also speaks of project management though, and
often as or not, developersinvolve art too late in the they
think it's something you canslap on at the end of things.
And it's so good when you findsomebody that has this vision
and they're like, it's gonna beintegral to the way people
experience this space.
Um, let's plan for thatcorrectly as opposed to going,
(38:06):
you can you can do whatever youwant at the end.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Um, because it is, um, art is the easiest way to
create a real shift in the waypeople will experience space.
Colour and and vibrancy andoriginality all lead to people
feeling more secure and moreengaged with their spaces.
Speaker (38:25):
And also lends uh authenticity to a project as
well.
We like we've really found thatwhen it just adds that layer of
polish to something.
And we have found that when weare boarding early, they're the
successful projects that arereally thought through and uh
cohesive with the the overallvision of a project.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Makes sense.
Speaker (38:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Do you have any like dream projects on your list?
What would you love to do?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Oh, I'd love to do some all big walls.
But um I still love theairplane.
Oh, so that's just all thequantas airplanes.
Just doing all the airplanes.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Yes.
Oh gosh, I'd love to seeamazing.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Imagine seeing a a a huge Airbus A380 and rose full
wrap, full wrap with rose workon it and a really big bird as
well.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Oh, that's that's just some sort of migratory,
migratory bird.
Speaker (39:23):
Yes, we'll be tagging them.
I actually like the lastproject Spectra was really sort
of embodied the typical projectthat I would love to do.
Like it yeah, it wasall-encompassing, immersive,
brand reinforcing aligned umproject that was quite ambitious
(39:44):
in its scale, but it could goto the next level, like to be
able to activate sort ofdifferent every aspect of a
hotel from the restaurantthrough to the suites, and the
room, the lobby spaces, theexterior, um, and all the
different ways that you could dothat.
That for me, I find that reallyexciting.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Um yeah, I feel like that's and and that's a project
where it would be amazing to bebrought in when the interiors
are being designed and then youbecome kind of that integral
part of it.
Yeah, I could see that beingsuch an amazing space.
Because I've really kind ofalready done that, you know, as
a as a temporary installationwith Spectra, which just looks
(40:23):
like it belonged there.
Like I was like, oh, just canwe just keep it?
unknown (40:27):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
I mean, we've seen it how many?
You've done like seven hotelsnow, haven't you?
Something like that.
So we've seen it in bits andpieces where they've gone, oh,
we'll do we'll do one wall, butwe'll do this one.
Or we'll do a suite, but toactually have something that's
more included, like full, whatam I trying to say here?
Full immersion.
Speaker (40:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yeah, would be fantastic.
Speaker (40:48):
Touching into every space would be.
And I think also as an becauseI I don't I don't really call
myself a designer, so I don'tproclaim to do the whole thing
at all.
But I think as an artist, we dohave a different way of seeing
things uh that is that in adifferent way to how a designer
might play something.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Yeah.
Speaker (41:08):
But it'd be amazing collaboration.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
Yeah.
Speaker (41:11):
But I just love doing big things.
Like I love working at scaleand challenging my ability to
paint at scale as well.
Like a work that I did wasprobably a couple of years ago
now, up in Sydney, um, at AxisAlexandria, which was a
commercial facility that wasbuilt up there.
It was about a five-story wall,and there were two of them in
the stairwell.
(41:32):
So they were actually interiormurals, but that were visible
from the exterior because thatpart of the building was open to
the road.
And that certainly was achallenge in painting at scale
and logistics producing off siteon the ground, knowing that it
was going to be installed in ain a giant stairwell and
(41:52):
adapting the way I worked tomake that work.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
And I think it's really interesting because I
think, you know, as interiordesigners, maybe Brie and I are
a bit maybe the exception, butwe feel like we better choose
some safe colours becauseespecially in a hotel, we don't
want um, we don't want people tofreak out.
I don't know, why do we choosethese safe colours?
We want everyone to like it.
But I think what you did atSpectra, it just proved that oh,
(42:17):
colour, it can give you such ajoyful response and such a
positive reaction.
Why are we so scared of usingcolour?
It's just so dumb.
So I feel like that's shiftingthough, don't you?
I feel like that is sharing.
I feel like it is shifting.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Yeah, it is shifting.
But it but it's projects likethat, like the Spectra
installation and even just moreart being, I guess, integrated
into spaces and more colour andshowing people, particularly in
public spaces, I think has Iguess it gives more confidence
to like homeowners and people intheir own home to kind of take
that back and go, well, I kindof want my space.
(42:56):
I that was like evoking acertain feeling and I want my
space to do that.
Speaker (42:59):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
And and so I think it's about a bit of courage and
confidence.
And the more we use it and showpeople how it can be done, the
more people are sort of moreconfident to do it.
So I do, yeah, I think you'reright, right.
Speaker (43:11):
There's definitely a movement towards colour.
In as far as domesticapplications of colour in homes,
when we we really treat ourhome a bit like a gallery.
And yeah, when we take work offthe wall, it just feels so
drab.
Just feels empty.
Right.
Like it's the work is whatgives our space life.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
Yeah, the energy just drains out of it.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Yeah.
Do you do private commissions?
So if someone's like seeingyour work at a hotel, can they
approach you, both of you, to doprivate work?
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, generally justthrough our websites.
But that's what we're workingon now.
We're we're we're catching upon commissions.
Um one of them is actually uhan additional work for a piece
that I painted directly onto thewall.
Uh that these people had aseven meter by seven meter
stairwell um entrance piece.
And so I did a mural on that.
Um, and now as an additionalpiece, they would they want you
(44:03):
to they wanted the focus to bedrawn down into and down a
hallway.
So we're doing a big piece toactivate that.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
Seven meters wasn't enough.
They didn't they didn't haveenough.
Speaker (44:12):
They needed well, I think they thought if they sold
the house they wouldn't have anartwork anymore, so they had
something they could take withthem.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
Um that's ambitious, right?
And that's really brave of themto do that.
Speaker 2 (44:25):
So but I love it.
I love it when people actuallytake, I don't know, go, this is
my house.
Yeah.
And why shouldn't it be the wayI want it to be instead of
going default white wallsbecause we're we're scared maybe
we'll sell it one day.
Oh, so boring.
These people are even going,oh, maybe we will sell it one
day, but and we but we stillwant that.
And yep, let's do anotherartwork that we can take with
(44:48):
us.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
Yeah, and and and that goes back to like the um
having that trust in the artist.
They've they chose me for a areason and then they said, Go do
what you want.
Obviously, I provided them withsome mock-ups, but um and and
that's all part of the briefingprocess.
But that's the most satisfyingproject, is when somebody
actually just trusts you to dowhat you do.
And yeah.
Speaker (45:08):
100%.
And I think that's whypartially why you got the most
recent silo because they'd seenanother silo you did and they
knew you could deliver.
Yeah, deliver and some.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
So cool.
Thank you guys for such a greatchat.
Um, I loved learning more aboutyour process and the work that
you've been up to since we met.
Any other silos on the horizonor any other hotels or anything?
Speaker (45:35):
Yeah, literally.
At the moment, no, we're justum we're we're in our tenth year
in Tolkien or Janjuk.
In the studio.
In our Janjuk studio.
So we are kind of opening ourstudio up to the public a bit.
Oh, that would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
So that yeah, the next thing is we're having an
open studio early December, andthen we're designing a bunch of
workshops that we can run forthe public really over that time
over the over the summerperiod.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Oh, that sounds super fun.
All right, put our names down.
Signing up.
Yeah, that would be just themost wonderful experience.
Oh, what a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
So once once we've got the dates for those locked
in, we'll um we'll share thoseon social visit and uh websites,
etc.
Ah, that'll be so cool.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, I'm gonna put that as my Christmas present to
myself.
Speaker (46:24):
Come and hang with us.
Oh, so fun.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
Uh, I'm definitely I'm already in.
I'm already in.
Yeah, great.
Get a bit of beach time.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
That'll be amazing.
Get a bit of creation.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Well, I've been meaning to come down and see you
now.
I even have more of a reason toso heaven.
Speaker 3 (46:37):
Oh, we'd better repaint our walls.
Speaker (46:39):
Well, yeah, we better paint our walls a colour.
No pressure.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Oh, it's easy.
Speaker (46:45):
I just did it's what colour?
I mean, we just don't know whatcolour these are so many
colours.
Speaker 3 (46:49):
I do, but that's why I'm like that too.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
But I think this is the thing though, you already
know that you can paint it andthen maybe you could paint it
again.
Like I just did uh so pick acolour and then you can change
it next year, you know.
Like that's the beauty of it.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
I don't know, it takes a day, you know.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Yeah, I mean it is a lot of effort, but I feel like
you guys have kind of got thatdown part.
Speaker 3 (47:09):
So it's been there done there.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Paint a 28.
Maybe painting a room insteadof yeah, you'll be like, This is
just too easy.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
Where's the challenge?
Oh no, no, yes, it's as long asit's not a windowsill.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Oh god, yeah.
Speaker (47:23):
Is there a story to that?
What do you mean?
I just can't stand paintingwindowsills.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
They're just fiddly, right?
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Uh yeah, there's lots of prep architraves and white
wall.
Yeah, they don't want to dothat, especially if you have to
sand it all.
It's the prep that I hate.
The painting it's fun.
Prep is that sucks, but youhave to do it.
Speaker 3 (47:40):
Yeah, that's right.
That's that that's 80% of it.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
It is.
It is.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Oh, thanks, guys.
It's always fun to see.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Well, stay in touch anyway.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
We've got the utmost respect for the Wurundjeri
people of the Kulin Nation.
They're the OG custodians ofthis unceded land and its
waters, where we set up shop,create, and call home and come
to you from this podcast today.
A big shout out to all of theamazing elders who have walked
before us, those leading the wayin the present, and the
(48:13):
emerging leaders who will carrythe torch into the future.
We're just lucky to be on thisjourney together.
Welcome to Design Anatomy, the Interior Design
Podcast hosted by friends andfellow designers, me, Bree
Banfield, and me, Lauren Li,with some exciting guest
appearances along the way.
We're here to break downeverything from current trends
to timeless style.
Speaker 1 (00:15):
And today we are so honoured to be speaking with
some artists that we adore,Rowena and geoffrey today.
Speaker 2 (00:23):
They have such a huge celebrated history of public
art, large-scale murals andspatial activation, and have
transformed urban landscapesboth locally and
internationally.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
They've worked with some of Australia's leading
architects and interiordesigners to create bespoke
immersive art experiences inboth domestic and commercial
environments.
And recently, Bree and I werefortunate to post a panel
discussion with Rowena andgeoffrey about their new work,
Spectra, which marked asignificant evolution in their
(00:54):
practice, extending theirexpressive, abstract aesthetic
beyond the canvas and into thebuilt environment.
It was so stunning.
Speaker 2 (01:03):
That was beautiful.
And you may have been fortunateenough to see it during
Melbourne Design Week.
But beyond that work in hotels,both of them have also been
commissioned to activatehospitals, food courts, silos,
building facades, and even trainstations, as well as
collaborate with major brandssuch as Dulux, Mecca Cosmetica,
and Nike.
(01:24):
And their ability to seamlesslyintegrate art into diverse
environments continues tochallenge conventional notions
of artistic application.
And I guess how do we knowRowena and geoffrey?
I've known them for way toolong.
Um I worked with you both on aDulux collaboration.
(01:46):
That would have been maybe over10 years ago, really.
Was it over 10 years ago?
It sounds so.
Speaker 4 (01:51):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Um, where we created some amazing artwork.
Oh, they did.
I just watched it happen.
Um, based on one of theforecast trends in studio.
And actually, I post some ofthose images from that because
they're still amazing, likefabulous stuff.
And I loved, always loved thefact that you guys were so great
working together.
And you know, I'm excited totalk about that a little bit
(02:14):
more.
And Lauren, I think you reallyonly just met Rowen and
geoffrey, but you knew of theirwork, right?
Speaker 1 (02:19):
Exactly.
Like obviously, known of theirwork for many years.
So yeah, I think when I firstmet you guys, I was kind of
embarrassed because I just uh Idon't know, you guys are so
lovely.
And the art I I did, I cried alittle bit.
It was emotional.
Oh but um so welcome.
(02:40):
It's so nice to be talking toyou on the Design Anatomy
podcast.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
Well, well, thanks for having us.
We're doing here.
Speaker (02:47):
We're really happy to be here.
So good.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
And thanks for the intro.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (02:54):
We like to talk people up.
Um, I think one of the thingsthat we would love to touch on
and that we just we've spoken toyou guys about before when we
did the panel at um at Ridgesfor Um Spectra, which was
fantastic and it was so great tohear you talk about your work.
(03:14):
So I'm excited to do it allagain.
But I think it's alwaysfascinating for us to hear about
how you guys actually manage towork together because you do do
a lot of collaborativeprojects, and I don't think
everyone's capable of doing thatwhen they're in a partnership,
you know, a romantic partnershipand a business partnership, it
can be a bit tricky.
So, like what tell just tell usa little bit about how you guys
(03:36):
manage that, I suppose.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
The process is an ongoing process of I don't know.
I I think we we would just thatinitial spark hasn't
disappeared, it just keepsevolving.
Speaker 4 (03:47):
So nice.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
I'm gonna make Lauren cry again.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
And it's reignited every time we do another project
because there's like limitlesspossibilities, and we work so
well as a team together that itactually makes facilitating
those projects easier.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
Why why do you think you do like that?
Why do you think it works sowell?
Speaker 3 (04:09):
Rose is quite entrepreneurial in her outlook.
She loves initiating new ideasand seeing collaborations and
pathways, and then I likesupporting and facilitating
that.
And I and I get excited by thatprocess too.
Speaker (04:22):
I think also just each other's practice.
We we're inspired by eachother's practice and where we
can um support each other andand take it to the next level.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Yeah, that helps.
Because I I I love Rose workand I'm always in awe how she
manages to do it because I'vetried doing abstract and it's
really it's not easy.
I it's like I always have an uha solid outcome in mind, and
sometimes the creative pathtakes you down a different road,
but with abstract, that roadhas got limitless paths to
travel on.
(04:51):
So um, and then applying thatto a specific project, yeah,
that just adds a different layeraltogether.
Speaker (04:57):
I think also it works both being artists, because as
an artist, you live a prettysolitary existence.
You work in isolation in yourstudio and can go days without
speaking to someone else ifyou're deep in that creative
process.
But we we almost critique eachother along the way and we can
make those business planningdecisions together and
(05:19):
strategize how we're gonna rollthe year out together rather
than just always working in avacuum, which is a massive trap
for creatives.
Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, I can imagine too.
So you get, I guess you'regetting the best of both worlds
where you both understand eachother and are able to support
each other so that you're notfeeling it that isolation.
So I guess it's a bonus for youboth.
Speaker 3 (05:39):
Well Yeah, you got that sounding board.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
And I guess like for for me as well, like I work with
my husband in the business andI I don't know, you sort of just
you just do it, you don'treally think about it.
So but people are just like, ohmy god, I could never work with
my husband or we drive eachother crazy and stuff.
It's like, oh, we we just likeeach other, we like hanging out,
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (06:02):
Yeah, how it's supposed to be, I suppose, isn't
it?
Speaker 3 (06:07):
Um I think it can be.
I mean, yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
Yeah, you go.
Well, I was just gonna say,like, with your practice as
well, like your work is quitedifferent.
So um, I think it's that mutualappreciation of something.
Oh well, I've tried that, likeas you say, geoffrey, and I
can't do that.
So you're sort of like in aweof each other, maybe.
Speaker (06:25):
I don't know, Rowena.
Does that go the other way foryou?
I can say the same thing forwatching geoffrey do a silo
piece.
There's no way I could bend mybrain to that either.
Speaker 2 (06:33):
So yeah, the huge scale.
Speaker (06:36):
Well, I guess we each other support our strengths
support each other um indifferent ways.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
Yeah, rather than being competitive.
Yeah, you know, working intrying to outdo each other.
Speaker (06:46):
Different spaces completely, like, but and we
just get on really well, so it'sit's nice to have someone to do
it with.
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
And I think that was so beautiful with the the
Spectra installation.
So yeah, it was an installationwithin a hotel lobby for your
sort of seating areas at um ahotel in Melbourne, and just to
see, I think that's what got mewhen we were first meeting.
I was just like, oh my god,there was a piece that you
showed me.
It had Rowena's abstract umsort of work in the background
(07:15):
almost with one of Jeffree'sbeautiful birds painted so like
delicately over the top, andit's just the merging of those
come together, and it just gotme.
I was like, Oh, that is themost beautiful thing.
Speaker 3 (07:29):
That's a very beautiful visceral reaction.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
It was, it was actually, it was really lovely,
and we all kind of felt a littlebit emotional, which probably
sounds a bit weird talking aboutit now to other people.
Like, really, you're cryinglike in you're in a hotel lobby
and you're crying.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Wouldn't be the first time.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
It'd usually be for a different reason.
Speaker 1 (07:49):
You had to be there, you had to be there.
Like, I think it was all of it.
It was like the whole immersiveexperience of how you
transformed that lobby space,which was very tasteful, very
neutral, into something just sojoyful and it was so immersive.
So, I guess should we justunpack a little bit of what the
elements were in that space?
Speaker (08:11):
So we came to do the Spectra exhibition as part of
Melbourne Design Week.
And in the process of that, Iapproached Ridges Hotel.
We had a relationship with themanager there because I'd worked
with him in the past in anotherhotel doing QT.
And it looked like a greatcanvas to work with.
It had recently beenrefurbished.
(08:31):
There were beautifulfurnishings in there.
It was quite neutral, but therewere still there were still
coloured elements like a bigclay wall and lots of beautiful
marble and textured dark greenwallpaper.
And I saw it as a greatchallenge to integrate our work
into that space.
For those of you that know mywork, it's it's normally really
(08:51):
bright and poppy.
And in this instance, I wantedto create something that was a
bit more harmonious and subtleand pushed, I guess, my palettes
to work in with this spaceusing the dark greens and the
browns and the clays, but thenalso maintaining the essence of
my work and inserting bits ofhot pink or you know, flashes of
(09:12):
colour that bring activate mypaintings and bring them to
life.
And then so with that as astarting point, we were looking
at where we can take thoseartworks beyond being painted
canvases and looking at thesites and walls that could be
covered in wallpaper, floorsthat could be activated with
rugs or or bespoke carpets, andthen how both geoffrey and my
(09:36):
work come together within thosespaces.
So um pairing the beautifulbird paintings within of almost
like a vignette within thespace, and then how that has a
dialogue with other areas withinthe lobby.
Speaker 3 (09:51):
Yeah, because it's one space, but it has four
distinct areas, and being alobby is an interesting sort of
space the way people interactwith it.
There's so much energy in thatspace, but uh it still offers
pause and amongst all thatfreneticness.
Um people are coming in fromthe city, people have come from
international travel, or peoplehave been there for a while and
they just need a space to sitand wait or have um or get food
(10:13):
or coffee.
It's a real mingling space, andthat energy is is palpable um
when you go in there, and youcan see people responding to the
different zones.
Like some invite you just to gosit and be quiet, and then
other zones are meeting,chatting, happy spaces.
Speaker (10:28):
Um then others are almost like a work zone or like
a meeting booth or transient inone regard because it's a
corridor through to therestaurant, but also a dwell
time space because there arebooths to sit in that corridor
space.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
And that's where Rose work really comes in.
Her work's like crystallizedenergy, like the way she dances
across the canvas.
Um, and then it and then thatthat energy keeps giving.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
And it it provides to a space.
And so that's sort of whatinformed my paintings as well,
somewhat, is like observing Rosework and thinking about how it
works.
Speaker (11:02):
And then also I guess that comes back to us sharing
the studio space and us creatingthose that body of work in
synchronicity as well anddrawing from the same colour
palettes and responding to eachother's work in real time.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
Yeah.
Yeah.
Cause it is a little bitdifferent.
I guess if you werecollaborating with an artist
that you didn't share a studiowith, it may not feel as
connected, whereas it does feelvery naturally like it evolved.
And you're seeing for me all ofthe colours and how that worked
so closely together.
Yeah.
It just, I think it's the best,your best work ever in a
(11:36):
collaboration.
It just was kind of seamless ina way.
Speaker (11:39):
Yeah, I feel like that as a collaboration, it's the
best work we've done as well,especially the intertwined piece
that we spoke about earlierwith the herons overlaid and but
also harking back.
So the work, I feel like it itworks well in that it's really
site responsive and we arereally mindful of the space that
we're working into and bringingthat to life on another level,
(12:02):
but also harking back to wherewe're coming from, where we live
down here on the coast andreally drawing from our own
environment, looking at thebushland and those colours.
It's almost like we're walkingthrough the tea tree forest down
here with some of those works.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
So that was a really strong response from both of us
is the the colour palettes thatwere existing at the time um and
how they were supposed toelicit that sense of Australian
um geomorphism.
Yeah, the colours of the bush,the the ochres of the clay, the
green eucalyptones, that had allbeen specifically um designed
for that space to create thatsort of sense of calm, which
(12:38):
which nature does.
Um, so using that and then as aspecific starting point, like
Roach's how many 11 colours wasit?
Speaker (12:47):
I think there were 12 base colours that I started
with.
Speaker 3 (12:50):
And so almost that's very it's a very design-centric
approach to the art, is like,okay, I'm gonna start with these
palettes because we knowthey'll work, and then you'll
put your own personality intothat through how the creative
process unfolds.
Yep.
Um, and then I did the sayingum so that my work would sit
there.
I used those exact samepalettes um that were taken from
(13:11):
the furnishings and and and thefinishes, and then I
incorporated that directly intomy backgrounds, the frames and
the choice of verte.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
It's interesting because you know, if you look at
your work side by side, soRowena's I I loved how you
described that geoffrey umenergy crystallize, is that what
you said?
It's it's very energetic, it'svery crystallized.
Yeah, it's abstract.
So that means I suppose if youdescribe it, maybe I'll let you
describe it, Rowena.
How would you um just for ourlisteners?
(13:40):
We'll put a link in the shownotes so you can just quickly
have a look.
But um for those that aredriving in the car, how would
you describe your work?
What does it look like?
Speaker (13:49):
Uh it's very layered abstract expressionism.
I like to build lots ofcolours, and part of my process
is laying the canvas on thefloor.
So I would pour liquid paintonto the surface and then push
large brushes, say broom-sizedbrushes, through to create like
giant gestures.
I also use a lot of spray and Iwipe back colours as well.
(14:11):
So there's a constant likepush-pull of layers and looking
through layers and windowswithin larger bodies of work.
The original works are alwaysquite big.
And then I pull back and selectthe best parts really.
I crop them in.
Or by working at scale, I'mable to document and then
reproduce, say, the wallpaper ata greater scale as well.
(14:31):
So but uh there's a reallystrong focus on colour for me.
So the challenge of likepushing my usual palette into
this sort of quite neutraldirection, but still having the
essence of my work come through.
That was some the a vision thatI feel like we realized through
this project.
I I love your interpretation ofneutral colours.
Speaker 4 (14:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
Well, there's all I would say maybe they're less
neutral and more natural.
Speaker (14:57):
I mean, I guess all colours are natural, but like
they're not neutral, they'renatural.
Speaker 2 (15:01):
Yeah, they're not.
Well, they're just different tomy regular.
Yeah, they're less biregular,they still have amazing energy.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
And then, geoffrey, would you mind describing what
your pieces look like for ifyou're listening, you can paint
a picture perhaps?
Speaker 3 (15:16):
So the Spectra series, I looked at native birds
that had the same sort ofcolourings with or accents, and
I paired those with nativeminerals and crystals.
So there was a real hard-edgedapproach to counteract the
softness of the birds.
And so you had that fractaline,sharp, reflective nature of
(15:36):
crystals.
Um, and that and that spoke tome of the geological time frames
and and all of that, all ofthat time that's been spent and
turned into one beautiful littlething.
It that's like a bird to me aswell.
And and so these birds are allvibrant in their own fashion,
and then they're they're poisedon top of these crystals.
So it's not real to the scale'snot correct, it's artistic
(15:58):
lessons, but it works all thesame and it creates a dichotomy
where you've got two separatethings working together, and
that extends the narrative ofjust having a bird by itself or
a crystal by itself.
And it's just a celebration ofof Australia's ecology and all
its different forms becausethey're they're born of the same
environment.
One lives on top of it andone's growing in the earth.
(16:18):
But I thought it'd be reallyfun to look at that and look at
place, and and that's whatridges the space sort of spoke
to me about as well, with thecolours and location and people
coming from all over the placeand celebrating, being in
Melbourne, and often it's notfor a creative endeavour.
So they're traveling herebecause they're going out to the
theatre or they want to go tothe galleries.
So to me, it was an excitingspace to work original art into.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
Oh, definitely.
And I mean, I think a lot ofpeople they think, well, I'm
gonna go and see some art today.
I'm gonna go to the NGV.
But what a beautiful surprise!Like when we were there, I
noticed um some air hosts, airhostesses coming in and they
were like, Oh, wow, look atthis, and that they get to
experience some original art inthere every day because they in
and out of the way.
Unexpected, yeah, and it's it'sa beautiful thing.
(17:03):
And um, yeah, I think with yourum, you know, your painting
style, sorry if I don't want toget the terminologies wrong, I
don't know, but it's quitehyper-realistic, and then you've
got the contrast of Rowena.
So when you look at them sideby side, you sort of think,
well, they're totally quitedifferent, but coming together
in that space, it was quitespecial.
And then the way that it's laidonto the interiors, and I think
(17:26):
one of my favorite parts aswell was that entry portal.
So it was like one of those umrotating glass doors that you
feel like you could just loseyour arm in or whatever.
I don't know, those ones theyturn around.
But no, it was it was a bitmore safe, I think.
But it was like a glass curvedentry.
And Rowena, you had painted ona mural of your um, you know,
(17:49):
your pieces on there.
And it was that portal thatyou're like entering into some
different experience.
And it was such a beautiful wayto kind of yeah, first get a
sense of what's what's behindthese doors.
Speaker (18:01):
I think that work also gave the front of the hotel a
bit of a presence as well thatwasn't really there.
No, you could easily walk pastthe front of the hotel.
In fact, I think I have manytimes.
Yeah, sort of a bit like agateway setting the scene, um,
which often is how I do workwith um designers in activating
space, like trying to create afirst impression for an
(18:24):
environment that will unfolds asyou experience it.
Speaker 3 (18:27):
Yeah, being part of Design Week, um, that it was
like, yeah, you're crew, we'rejust creating that little jewel
that's there for a little bitand then it's gone as well.
So there was that, there wasthat temporality to it, which
that's kind of fun to work with.
Speaker 1 (18:40):
Um, tell us about the carpet.
How did that carpet?
I I think that describing itjust wouldn't do it justice
because it was incredible.
The carpet designs that youcame up with, Rowena, but also I
have to say, their actualapplication was so cool, wasn't
it?
Speaker (18:56):
Like it was very intense, the colours.
The carpet was probably themost exciting part of this
project for me.
It was a new, it was somethingI've wanted to do for years, and
it was just a matter of havingthe right opportunity to take it
on as a project.
And we we worked with GodfreyHearst Commercial to make the
carpets.
geoffrey had worked with thempreviously doing a large mural
(19:20):
for them at one of theirfactories.
And so we had that relationshipthere, and we, I guess,
proposed what we wanted to do,and they were all for it.
They were so supportive inletting us, I guess, fulfill our
creative dreams.
Speaker 3 (19:35):
Which is exciting for them as well, because they've
got they've got the technologyand it's just sitting there
often underutilized by printingout layers and layers and
hundreds and hundreds of metersof greys and browns and
neutrals.
Speaker 2 (19:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (19:48):
Whereas it it can do any colour you can yeah.
Speaker (19:52):
It was it would have been so exciting.
Yeah, in making the carpetsthat we made the designs
specifically for this project,and just to see the work
printout in that medium was soexciting, and to like just the
ideas that would flow from thatas far as where you could take
it, like you could do an entireconference room as one bespoke
(20:12):
work if you wanted to, you don'thave to repeat.
You can just very cool, yeah.
It the possibilities wereendless, and for me, doing like
hotel work, like the differentapplications as far as one-off
pieces for each room, yes,hallways.
Very good.
Yeah, yeah.
It's really exciting, yeah.
And also to see how a carpetcould bring a space to life as
(20:35):
well.
I I hadn't ever thought aboutit as much.
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Well, it's often just a backdrop, isn't it?
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
Yeah, it is.
It's it's serving a purpose,right?
Um but it it can also bebespoke and using God Godfrey
Hurst's ink uh was it inkjettechnology there.
Um yeah, it it it keeps it,it's all to that Australian
standard.
So it's not like you're doing ahuge investment.
You've got to get carpetanyway, but it could be like
this amazing carpet instead ofit.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Yeah, that's so true, right?
It's it's it's there anyway.
Speaker 3 (21:03):
Why not actually make it amazing instead of just what
a boy uh every time I go into aspace and and particularly when
there's long runs of it, I'malways looking at it going, oh,
this could just be so muchbetter.
Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yeah, in hallways and things, it would just and
energize the space.
Whereas I feel like so manytimes in in a hall, in a long
hall in a hotel, or you know,even in a conference center
where there's like lots of doorsand things, that's your
opportunity to actually break upthe space and make it way more
creative.
Speaker (21:31):
Yeah, and also just the fact that they're up the road
from us in Geelong.
Yeah, keeping it so local.
Like local.
The idea of localmanufacturing, quick turnaround
times, sampling, being there forthe printing process and just
really deeply being part of thatside of things as well.
That really inspires me as acreative to be able to be part
(21:52):
of that rolling out of themanufacturing and uh and knowing
that that can be just part ofthe process as an ongoing basis.
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (22:00):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (22:00):
Um, I would say, you know, a carpet or you know, the
entry portal would be a largescale artwork for a lot of
artists.
However, I think geoffrey winsin large scale.
Can you tell us a bit aboutyour work in on those really
large scale pieces?
(22:21):
Um, geoffrey?
Speaker 3 (22:22):
Yes, I can.
I just I just completed a itwas the artwork itself is 28
meters high.
Um can't even.
Speaker 1 (22:31):
That's just ridiculously big.
Speaker 3 (22:34):
Yeah.
But it's the same as I I Iobviously there's physical
output, it's a lot higher thanhaving to just paint a painting
in a studio, but it's uh for me,I it's the same thought
process.
I it's just at a differentscale.
Um, but there's a differentskill set that we're talking
about, and it's just likeactually I had to make sure the
ground was level, and you'redealing with the construction
(22:56):
industry because there'sconstruction going on, um, and
there's all these other things.
So it's like all these littlebits and pieces of my past lives
uh uh all come together to workon these bigger projects.
Speaker 1 (23:07):
Oh, really?
What are your past lives?
Speaker 3 (23:11):
Oh well, I've I've I've worked in landscaping and
construction before, but I'vealso doubt I've been dealing
with the construction industryand being on active sites quite
frequently.
Um dealing with differenttrades and um working on a
project management side ofthings as well, just to just and
just knowing how to communicateand get things achieved.
(23:32):
Because as an artist, you'realways the the afterthought.
And it's just like and it'sjust like uh you actually need
often as not on a on a largescale, things need to be set in
place and you need things to befacilitated for you.
Um and it's so frustrating toturn up and all of a sudden
there's someone else parkedthere, the ground's not level,
um, the site's not prepared.
(23:52):
So being able to actually goand do those things and and and
get them done is really helps onlarge-scale commercial things.
I mean, a lot of us willprobably just outsource that and
just go, nah, I'll come back.
But I like to get things done.
Speaker (24:04):
Yeah, yeah.
So what kind of I I thinkyou're underplaying it a bit
because aside from all of thosebackground tasks, you can
actually still paint a 28-meterhigh painting.
Speaker 2 (24:15):
Yeah, I I know because like I make sure the
ground's level, that's the mainthing.
Speaker 3 (24:20):
Yeah, yeah.
Well, there's the safety,right?
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Oh my gosh.
Speaker (24:23):
I mean, no, I know, I know.
Also, there is just it's anendurance event.
Speaker 3 (24:28):
Oh, it was the wind was like it is today, is it was
insane.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
So yeah.
So what what are you so wereyou like on a um scaff or
rigging?
Like how what's to describe tous how scary this is?
Speaker 3 (24:43):
It's not scary, it's 28 meters up.
It was it was a straight boom.
Um, so it's effectively a cranewith a basket on the end of it.
Speaker 2 (24:50):
Oh, that's all I think it's still a bit scary.
Speaker 3 (24:53):
Yeah.
It's a big machine, it's notgoing anywhere.
But some of these wind gustsare up to the maximum.
Um, so yeah, just having to getup super early because there
was no wind.
So I was literally there beforesun up every day and um
painting.
Um, yeah, and and alwaysmonitoring the wind because it
would as soon as it would swingaround, you all of a sudden I
couldn't work high anymore and Ihad to work at the so yeah,
(25:15):
just managing how I was going toget it all finished within the
time frame.
Um, once I get rolling, it'ssort of I I just keep thinking
of they break it down intotasks.
Like now I need to do thissection and get these colours.
Speaker (25:31):
There was a lot of preparation though, as well.
Like it's not like geoffrey wasmixing his paint on site,
everything was planned to thefinest detail, yeah.
So that when you're on site,it's just execution.
Speaker 3 (25:44):
Yeah, because I yeah, I was right uh the latest one I
was running solo, so I didn'thave anyone doing any running
around for me.
So making sure I had everythingsorted.
Yeah.
Had no offside of it.
Speaker 1 (25:57):
So where was this latest one?
What was the project?
Where was it?
Speaker 3 (26:00):
It's up in Rainbow, which is in the Maui, um, West
West Worm Maui, north ofHorsham.
So it's about four and a halfhours from here.
And it is a double silo thatthey've put they've actually put
a big structure on the outsideof it with an elevator in it,
and then they cut holes into thesilo.
So this is the first one you'llbe able to walk inside, and
(26:21):
then it the inside's beingactivated with an artwork as
well.
Speaker 4 (26:24):
Oh, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (26:25):
And then I did the outside.
Yeah.
It was all ri it all had to besite-specific, so it was all
related to um the garden, whichwas there, because Lou Shirling
had been living there this wholetime, and he put in a lot of
gardening, and he was reallyproud of his landscape.
And so it was a bit of a astory there, and we ran with
(26:47):
that.
And he wanted the garden to beextended up, and so that's
exactly what I did.
I I um documented um plants outof his garden and then put in
uh put in a Mali Emi roombecause they used to live all
through that space, but nowthey're there's uh hardly any of
them left, and they're all upin the national park that's to
the north of that area.
(27:07):
So, but that's still wherethat's their traditional um
environment.
Um so I put one in there tohighlight that.
Uh and they're vibrant littlecute birds.
So they're once again, uh it'sa foot in the door.
Everyone loves birds.
Yeah, right.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
So is this part of um how do people experience that?
Speaker 3 (27:23):
Are there like tours people go on or yeah, it is
it'll be part of the extendedsilo art tour.
So it's part of a map.
And um, yeah, well, there'sFacebook people are like they're
pretty um fanatical about it,actually.
They they make sure they takethe caravan and go around it and
it pulls in different loops ofthe silo art trail.
Yeah, but it's big, it'slarge-scale tourism for Victoria
(27:45):
as well.
Yeah, pulls in heaps.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
How many have you done?
Are they all silos that sorry?
Two questions at one point.
Yeah, we're just excited.
Answer Lauren's first.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
How how many of the silos have you done?
Speaker 3 (27:56):
Oh, I've only done two locations.
Speaker 1 (27:58):
Okay.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
But I've done that one and one in Garoque.
The one in Garoque was threesilos, this was two um together.
Yeah, and the the one I did inGaroque was in 2020, and that
was that was large as well,actually.
Speaker (28:10):
Uh what started off bigger surface.
Speaker 3 (28:14):
Yeah, it was massive.
It was like doing a wholefootball field.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Um, I was gonna ask, are all the silos like
non-working silos?
Are they actually silos thatare used?
Okay.
Mostly they're decommissioned.
Speaker 3 (28:26):
Yeah, decommissioned.
Speaker 2 (28:27):
Decommissioned.
Non-working, decommissioned.
Speaker 3 (28:30):
Non-working.
Yeah, same thing, right?
Yes.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
And and do you just like work in a big grid?
Like, how do you even I thinkfor me that's the part I can't
get, I mean, obviously theendurance of it is incredible,
but like just getting it soaccurate.
Is that is it just down to youknow, working in literally a a
grid?
Speaker 3 (28:48):
Yes.
When you're painting?
On this one it was.
I was worrying about all thesedifferent ways of doing it, and
then I ended up just going,there's my there's a horizontal
line from start finish down andthen go from there and then
start get get the width right.
Speaker 1 (29:02):
And I like it how you just make it sound so easy.
Speaker (29:05):
Oh, yeah, yeah, you make it sound easy, but I know
it's like you're just paintingviewpoints of the silo of where
this silo is going to be viewedfrom.
And yeah, so it you can't justsort of paint part of it.
You need to know where the fwhere people are looking at it
from.
And also with this on thestructure, they're they're
they're seeing it all the wayup.
So each sort of platform zone,yes, there's a focal point as
(29:27):
well.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Yes.
So that comes down to thecomposition and and I guess I
make all these all thesedecisions that are constantly
running and they're sort ofrunning silently in the back of
your brain, and you think aboutbut yeah, this one was
interesting because it was adouble like silo as you move
around, the per the perspectivechanges constantly.
Of course, and that was fun.
Speaker (29:48):
It's also visible from outside of the town.
Oh so as you're driving intothe the town, you see the top of
this silo poking out, and it'smagic.
The focal, the focal point ofthat as well.
Speaker 3 (30:00):
Yeah, and this one for me, once again, it was a
colour study.
I needed to make it as vibrantas possible using the subject
matter I had at hand.
So that's what informed it andthe the scale.
Um so this one, the plant was aEuphoria Tragona.
This particular variety hadgone through so many
environmental extremes, it itwas it had the cut the colours
(30:22):
were intense in it.
It had um all these purples andmagentas and scarlets as well
as lime greens.
So from a colour fairyperspective, uh I thought it was
sounds amazing.
Speaker 1 (30:33):
Yeah, sounds stunning.
Speaker 3 (30:35):
And that goes back to the narrative of the piece
because it's um it's it's calledum anthocyanine.
It's a it's a thing that plantsproduce when they're under
stress um through environmentalfactors.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
It's so interesting because what you well, what you
were saying about your pastlives coming together, even in
in your artwork, like it's it'sso many aspects.
Um and when you're you knowcreating these pieces, are you
thinking about what kind ofemotional response you would
like people to kind of bedirected to?
Or is that just you put thatout there for people to I do?
(31:07):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (31:08):
Well Yeah, I I put it out there for people to respond
in their own way.
I yeah, if it if the coloursand the No, I do love narrative
and I I I everyone will responddifferently, but I do enjoy that
because it createsconversation.
Um yeah, and and and it'ssomething to it's just so
unusual to see something at thatscale and then go, why did why
(31:29):
is it painted there?
Yes and and what and what doesit yeah.
Speaker (31:33):
And I think there's a real really beautiful parallel
between what happens with thoseplants under stress and the
people that live in that area,like all of these farmers and
what they endure to to surviveon a yearly basis.
Speaker 3 (31:48):
And yeah, that's what I was thinking too.
Speaker (31:50):
Yeah, and just you know, these it's all also a
glimmer of hope with these emuwrens that you know their
environment, their naturalhabitat no longer being there
because being cleared forfarming and then have measures
that may be in place to bringthem back.
Speaker 3 (32:06):
They are bringing them back in the Murray sunset,
um, the reintroducing them oftheir captive breeding um in
South Australia.
So that's a bit of a nod tothat.
Same with the crystals and thebirds.
I love I love metaphor and Ilove a metaphor.
Yeah, good metaphor.
And it doesn't have to beliteral, right?
It can be poetic or and peoplecan take it as as they will.
(32:27):
But yeah, certainly with umwith with uh it's a plant, but
yeah, it like if you look at theway I've painted it and why I
chose that one and the colours,it does represent the township
and the hardiness of the peoplebecause it's such an extreme
place, it gets so hot in summer.
And when I was here, it waslike negative one, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:48):
So it's very stormy.
And what I love about thosepieces, as you mentioned before,
there's like fanatical peoplethat want to tick off all the
boxes of every single silo artpiece.
And I feel like and I don'tknow if I'm right or wrong, I
really don't know, but are theypart of like the typical sort of
art world that we kind ofimagine?
Or are they people that arejust wanting to have a bit of an
(33:10):
adventure and just I feel likeit's really cool because maybe
it's attracting people thataren't in that galleries,
contemporary art fair type ofworld, which I I just love that,
and people in the town beingable to be so proud of something
in their town and experiencethat artwork every day.
I I just feel like that's someaningful.
And does that sort of give youthat extra sort of sense of
(33:31):
fulfillment with your work?
Speaker 3 (33:32):
It certainly reaches a different audience.
Um it is an I think a lot ofpeople appreciate art, but this
takes it to a next level, andit's a different phenomenon of
this cultural tourism.
Um large artwork uh oftenborders along this borderline
kitsch, often is not large scalesunset.
Speaker 1 (33:54):
It can be there's so not though.
Speaker (34:01):
There's also it's a lot about placemaking and identity,
reinforcing how a town presentsitself and and its values,
yeah.
Because the local communitieshave a bit to do with what you
know what goes on those silos aswell.
You know, it's not justcarnivosh.
Speaker 3 (34:16):
But the the briefs are very tight.
Speaker (34:18):
Oh, okay.
Okay.
Speaker 3 (34:20):
Yeah, yeah, it's not it's not open slatter
creatively.
Speaker 2 (34:24):
But then I feel like you're what you're really good
at too, geoffrey, and and youmake it, you do sound quite
effortless in your descriptionof how there's that story behind
things.
I feel like sometimes that canfeel a bit forced, particularly
if you have been given a reallytight brief, and then you've got
to kind of go, how do I makethis work and have a narrative?
But I think you're really goodat talking about the narrative
(34:47):
behind something very naturally,and then that's what makes the
art feel like it belongs there,like it's it's just connected,
it's connection already.
And then when you explain it,it gives it that next level of
connection.
So I think that, you know, Ilove listening to you talk about
that narrative because itdoesn't sound contrived, it just
sounds very genuine.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Um, and Rowena, um, I I think it's similar in the way
that you've done, you know,commissions with a brand like
Mecha Cosmetica.
People are coming into thestore and they're just totally
immersed in all of this vibrantcolour.
It's so joyful.
And they're not in an artgallery, they're buying the
latest Charlotte Tilbury, Idon't know, whatever.
But um, but um, yeah, can yousort of speak on that, those
(35:31):
kind of commissions and andpeople sort of being able to
experience your art?
Speaker (35:35):
I've always felt that I wanted my art to be accessible.
I wanted people to be able toexperience it without the effort
of going to a gallery space.
So by placing it in the retailspace on a public mural in a
train station, that's where thatcomes to life.
So um, and it it's for me, it'sa much more exciting way to
(35:58):
experience a work if you'refully immersed in it, if it's
part of a window application orpart of part of some branding of
a packaging of what you whatyou've purchased.
Um, it just where the meetingof minds come together, where
that collaboration plays out,that for me, that's where it's
exciting.
And seeing where you can takeart um to the next level.
Speaker 2 (36:19):
And I feel like um, you know, we've talked about
endurance um in terms of thelarge scale, but you've
definitely also experienced somechallenging spaces, um, you
know, painting ceilings and allsorts of things.
Like what's was it the kioskthat one that um I know was a
huge challenge, like trying topaint the ceilings and and only
(36:40):
doing it at night?
Speaker (36:41):
Yeah, that's so that was um that was the ceiling.
Yeah, it was a traumaticexperience.
The ceiling of a shoppingcentre that I took on the city.
Oh, that's why it was ashopping center.
I was traumatically.
Um and I got on site and it waslike there were people
everywhere.
And I just said, we can't workhere during the day, it's not
(37:03):
safe.
And with that, we the projectturned into night shift, and we
were working from 9 pm until wecould no longer stand.
So for about a week and a half,I think it was.
Speaker 3 (37:14):
With a one-year-old.
Speaker (37:15):
With a one-year-old in tow.
Yeah, that's right.
Oh my god.
Um, and just the physicality ofpainting a ceiling in the first
place is quite challenging.
But then to do an abstractpainting and then to have to cut
around every single light and abit of a um it was just so much
bigger than I ever could everhave imagined.
(37:35):
Um, but I've just had learnt avaluable lesson in never to do
it again.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
To me, that also the outcome was amazing though,
right?
Speaker 3 (37:45):
That also speaks of project management though, and
often as or not, developersinvolve art too late in the they
think it's something you canslap on at the end of things.
And it's so good when you findsomebody that has this vision
and they're like, it's gonna beintegral to the way people
experience this space.
Um, let's plan for thatcorrectly as opposed to going,
(38:06):
you can you can do whatever youwant at the end.
Speaker 2 (38:09):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (38:09):
Um, because it is, um, art is the easiest way to
create a real shift in the waypeople will experience space.
Colour and and vibrancy andoriginality all lead to people
feeling more secure and moreengaged with their spaces.
Speaker (38:25):
And also lends uh authenticity to a project as
well.
We like we've really found thatwhen it just adds that layer of
polish to something.
And we have found that when weare boarding early, they're the
successful projects that arereally thought through and uh
cohesive with the the overallvision of a project.
Speaker 2 (38:44):
Makes sense.
Speaker (38:45):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:46):
Do you have any like dream projects on your list?
What would you love to do?
Speaker 3 (38:51):
Oh, I'd love to do some all big walls.
But um I still love theairplane.
Oh, so that's just all thequantas airplanes.
Just doing all the airplanes.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
Yes.
Oh gosh, I'd love to seeamazing.
Speaker 3 (39:07):
Imagine seeing a a a huge Airbus A380 and rose full
wrap, full wrap with rose workon it and a really big bird as
well.
Speaker 2 (39:17):
Oh, that's that's just some sort of migratory,
migratory bird.
Speaker (39:23):
Yes, we'll be tagging them.
I actually like the lastproject Spectra was really sort
of embodied the typical projectthat I would love to do.
Like it yeah, it wasall-encompassing, immersive,
brand reinforcing aligned umproject that was quite ambitious
(39:44):
in its scale, but it could goto the next level, like to be
able to activate sort ofdifferent every aspect of a
hotel from the restaurantthrough to the suites, and the
room, the lobby spaces, theexterior, um, and all the
different ways that you could dothat.
That for me, I find that reallyexciting.
Speaker 2 (40:00):
Um yeah, I feel like that's and and that's a project
where it would be amazing to bebrought in when the interiors
are being designed and then youbecome kind of that integral
part of it.
Yeah, I could see that beingsuch an amazing space.
Because I've really kind ofalready done that, you know, as
a as a temporary installationwith Spectra, which just looks
(40:23):
like it belonged there.
Like I was like, oh, just canwe just keep it?
unknown (40:27):
I guess.
Speaker 3 (40:28):
I mean, we've seen it how many?
You've done like seven hotelsnow, haven't you?
Something like that.
So we've seen it in bits andpieces where they've gone, oh,
we'll do we'll do one wall, butwe'll do this one.
Or we'll do a suite, but toactually have something that's
more included, like full, whatam I trying to say here?
Full immersion.
Speaker (40:46):
Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (40:47):
Yeah, would be fantastic.
Speaker (40:48):
Touching into every space would be.
And I think also as an becauseI I don't I don't really call
myself a designer, so I don'tproclaim to do the whole thing
at all.
But I think as an artist, we dohave a different way of seeing
things uh that is that in adifferent way to how a designer
might play something.
Speaker 2 (41:08):
Yeah.
Speaker (41:08):
But it'd be amazing collaboration.
Speaker 4 (41:11):
Yeah.
Speaker (41:11):
But I just love doing big things.
Like I love working at scaleand challenging my ability to
paint at scale as well.
Like a work that I did wasprobably a couple of years ago
now, up in Sydney, um, at AxisAlexandria, which was a
commercial facility that wasbuilt up there.
It was about a five-story wall,and there were two of them in
the stairwell.
(41:32):
So they were actually interiormurals, but that were visible
from the exterior because thatpart of the building was open to
the road.
And that certainly was achallenge in painting at scale
and logistics producing off siteon the ground, knowing that it
was going to be installed in ain a giant stairwell and
(41:52):
adapting the way I worked tomake that work.
Speaker 1 (41:56):
And I think it's really interesting because I
think, you know, as interiordesigners, maybe Brie and I are
a bit maybe the exception, butwe feel like we better choose
some safe colours becauseespecially in a hotel, we don't
want um, we don't want people tofreak out.
I don't know, why do we choosethese safe colours?
We want everyone to like it.
But I think what you did atSpectra, it just proved that oh,
(42:17):
colour, it can give you such ajoyful response and such a
positive reaction.
Why are we so scared of usingcolour?
It's just so dumb.
So I feel like that's shiftingthough, don't you?
I feel like that is sharing.
I feel like it is shifting.
Speaker 2 (42:34):
Yeah, it is shifting.
But it but it's projects likethat, like the Spectra
installation and even just moreart being, I guess, integrated
into spaces and more colour andshowing people, particularly in
public spaces, I think has Iguess it gives more confidence
to like homeowners and people intheir own home to kind of take
that back and go, well, I kindof want my space.
(42:56):
I that was like evoking acertain feeling and I want my
space to do that.
Speaker (42:59):
Definitely.
Speaker 2 (43:00):
And and so I think it's about a bit of courage and
confidence.
And the more we use it and showpeople how it can be done, the
more people are sort of moreconfident to do it.
So I do, yeah, I think you'reright, right.
Speaker (43:11):
There's definitely a movement towards colour.
In as far as domesticapplications of colour in homes,
when we we really treat ourhome a bit like a gallery.
And yeah, when we take work offthe wall, it just feels so
drab.
Just feels empty.
Right.
Like it's the work is whatgives our space life.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
Yeah, the energy just drains out of it.
Speaker 1 (43:32):
Yeah.
Do you do private commissions?
So if someone's like seeingyour work at a hotel, can they
approach you, both of you, to doprivate work?
Speaker 3 (43:41):
Absolutely.
Yeah, yeah, generally justthrough our websites.
But that's what we're workingon now.
We're we're we're catching upon commissions.
Um one of them is actually uhan additional work for a piece
that I painted directly onto thewall.
Uh that these people had aseven meter by seven meter
stairwell um entrance piece.
And so I did a mural on that.
Um, and now as an additionalpiece, they would they want you
(44:03):
to they wanted the focus to bedrawn down into and down a
hallway.
So we're doing a big piece toactivate that.
Speaker 1 (44:09):
Seven meters wasn't enough.
They didn't they didn't haveenough.
Speaker (44:12):
They needed well, I think they thought if they sold
the house they wouldn't have anartwork anymore, so they had
something they could take withthem.
Speaker 3 (44:20):
Um that's ambitious, right?
And that's really brave of themto do that.
Speaker 2 (44:25):
So but I love it.
I love it when people actuallytake, I don't know, go, this is
my house.
Yeah.
And why shouldn't it be the wayI want it to be instead of
going default white wallsbecause we're we're scared maybe
we'll sell it one day.
Oh, so boring.
These people are even going,oh, maybe we will sell it one
day, but and we but we stillwant that.
And yep, let's do anotherartwork that we can take with
(44:48):
us.
Speaker 3 (44:48):
Yeah, and and and that goes back to like the um
having that trust in the artist.
They've they chose me for a areason and then they said, Go do
what you want.
Obviously, I provided them withsome mock-ups, but um and and
that's all part of the briefingprocess.
But that's the most satisfyingproject, is when somebody
actually just trusts you to dowhat you do.
And yeah.
Speaker (45:08):
100%.
And I think that's whypartially why you got the most
recent silo because they'd seenanother silo you did and they
knew you could deliver.
Yeah, deliver and some.
Speaker 1 (45:20):
So cool.
Thank you guys for such a greatchat.
Um, I loved learning more aboutyour process and the work that
you've been up to since we met.
Any other silos on the horizonor any other hotels or anything?
Speaker (45:35):
Yeah, literally.
At the moment, no, we're justum we're we're in our tenth year
in Tolkien or Janjuk.
In the studio.
In our Janjuk studio.
So we are kind of opening ourstudio up to the public a bit.
Oh, that would be amazing.
Speaker 3 (45:50):
So that yeah, the next thing is we're having an
open studio early December, andthen we're designing a bunch of
workshops that we can run forthe public really over that time
over the over the summerperiod.
Speaker 1 (46:01):
Oh, that sounds super fun.
All right, put our names down.
Signing up.
Yeah, that would be just themost wonderful experience.
Oh, what a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (46:10):
So once once we've got the dates for those locked
in, we'll um we'll share thoseon social visit and uh websites,
etc.
Ah, that'll be so cool.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, I'm gonna put that as my Christmas present to
myself.
Speaker (46:24):
Come and hang with us.
Oh, so fun.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
Uh, I'm definitely I'm already in.
I'm already in.
Yeah, great.
Get a bit of beach time.
Speaker 3 (46:31):
That'll be amazing.
Get a bit of creation.
Speaker 2 (46:33):
Well, I've been meaning to come down and see you
now.
I even have more of a reason toso heaven.
Speaker 3 (46:37):
Oh, we'd better repaint our walls.
Speaker (46:39):
Well, yeah, we better paint our walls a colour.
No pressure.
Speaker 3 (46:44):
Oh, it's easy.
Speaker (46:45):
I just did it's what colour?
I mean, we just don't know whatcolour these are so many
colours.
Speaker 3 (46:49):
I do, but that's why I'm like that too.
Speaker 2 (46:52):
But I think this is the thing though, you already
know that you can paint it andthen maybe you could paint it
again.
Like I just did uh so pick acolour and then you can change
it next year, you know.
Like that's the beauty of it.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
I don't know, it takes a day, you know.
Speaker 2 (47:05):
Yeah, I mean it is a lot of effort, but I feel like
you guys have kind of got thatdown part.
Speaker 3 (47:09):
So it's been there done there.
Speaker 1 (47:12):
Paint a 28.
Maybe painting a room insteadof yeah, you'll be like, This is
just too easy.
Speaker 2 (47:16):
Where's the challenge?
Oh no, no, yes, it's as long asit's not a windowsill.
Speaker 3 (47:21):
Oh god, yeah.
Speaker (47:23):
Is there a story to that?
What do you mean?
I just can't stand paintingwindowsills.
Speaker 3 (47:27):
They're just fiddly, right?
Speaker 2 (47:28):
Uh yeah, there's lots of prep architraves and white
wall.
Yeah, they don't want to dothat, especially if you have to
sand it all.
It's the prep that I hate.
The painting it's fun.
Prep is that sucks, but youhave to do it.
Speaker 3 (47:40):
Yeah, that's right.
That's that that's 80% of it.
Speaker 2 (47:43):
It is.
It is.
Speaker 1 (47:45):
Oh, thanks, guys.
It's always fun to see.
Speaker 3 (47:48):
Well, stay in touch anyway.
Speaker 1 (47:51):
We've got the utmost respect for the Wurundjeri
people of the Kulin Nation.
They're the OG custodians ofthis unceded land and its
waters, where we set up shop,create, and call home and come
to you from this podcast today.
A big shout out to all of theamazing elders who have walked
before us, those leading the wayin the present, and the
(48:13):
emerging leaders who will carrythe torch into the future.
We're just lucky to be on thisjourney together.
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