July 26, 2022 • 28 mins
Steph catches up with Carly Snoswell to talk about her practice and her new show, Day One, at Post Office Projects. They trace the development of her practice from learning to sew as a kid, through art school, residencies, and studios - shoutout to the 'art wives'! Tune in for some lovely musings on fandom, textile practice, and too many sewing puns!
Show Notes
- Helpmann Academy Sanskriti Kendra Residency in New Delhi, India
- Jenna Pippett
- Kate Kurucz
- Roy Ananda
- Feelin’ Fine at CACSA Project Space
- Why artist Carly Snoswell thinks Beyonce is a Port Supporter – [Adelaide Review article]
- Crochet your Character
- Steph Cibich
- Rosina Possingham
- Since 1989 (Port Banner artwork) at Floating Goose Studios
- Day One, at Post Office Projects, Port Adelaide.
- CarlySnoswell.com
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Steph (00:08):
Hello and welcome to the SALA Podcast. My name is Steph
and in this episode I caught upwith artist Carly Snoswell.
All right, Carly, thank you forcatching up with me to have a
chat about your practice. I knowwe didn't go to your studio
because there are some veryfriendly budgies making noise,
(00:29):
so [it's] hilarious that thereare magpies also singing
outside. Hopefully they won'tinterrupt us. But maybe you'll
feel right at home? Before weget started all acknowledge that
we are meeting on Kaurna Landand pay respects to Elders past,
present, and future, and youalso work your studio and
exhibitions often are on thesame land as well?
Carly (00:52):
Yeah.
Steph (00:54):
All right. So where do we start? Should we do it
chronologically and start withhow you came to be an artist.
Carly (01:02):
Sure. Well, I guess I grew up, always enjoying making
things. So when I was a kid, Iused to stitch lots of things.
And I learned how to knit frommy mom when I was like nine. And
I think when I was 12, I got myfirst sewing machine. So they
always really into textiles andthose kinds of processes. You
(01:26):
see they're stitched by numberkits. And then in high school, I
remember really want to dofashion design, I wanted to go
into that.
Steph (01:35):
You were a cool kid!
Carly (01:36):
Maybe. And I can't really remember what kind of made me
shift, I think going to artschool was more, I guess,
knowing that I could do anydifferent kind of art making and
not being limited. So it's like,Oh, I could go to art school and
do clothing or fashion if Iwanted to. And actually actually
ended up steering more towardssculpture and installation
(01:57):
through the, what's it called,bachelor of Visual Arts SA back
in the day. And I think Ifinished up there in about 2012
with honors maybe. And then kindof following that to her did a
couple of residencies overseas.And I guess through art school,
(02:20):
like the textile course at UniSAwasn't huge. Yeah. And I
actually didn't enjoy it a lot.Because it was a lot of things
that I already knew, I didn'tfeel like I was maybe pushing
myself or learning new skills.So I ended up doing things like
jewellery, and ceramics andprintmaking and other kinds of
techniques, and majored insculpture. And so coming out of
(02:42):
art school, I was doing a lot ofsculpture and installation work.
And it kind of wasn't until Iwent to India through the
Helpmann Residency, and then didanother residency for six months
in New York, that I starteddoing textile processes in my
practice, I think kind ofrealizing that, ah, I can use
(03:02):
these really humble makingskills that I'd learned when I
was a kid in my art practice,and also kind of trying to scale
down my practice a bit because Iwas traveling and make smaller
works that I could take homewith me or could travel well.
And I guess that's sort of wherethe textiles came from in my
work.
Steph (03:21):
Yeah. So did you sort of have to make a decision to go
actually, this is a worthwhiletechnique, because there is
stigma attached to textiles.
Carly (03:27):
Yeah, and I think maybe at the time, I wasn't seeing a
lot of textile work around whenyou know, if I'd go see
exhibitions, or I'd see what washappening in the art world as a
whole. Whereas now I thinkTextiles is really really big
and popular. And it's definitelykind of a more accepted and
(03:48):
more. It's kind of in fashion in
Steph (03:50):
Yeah it's very in vogue, excuse the pun.
Carly (03:55):
Yeah, so then I was like: stuff it. I'm just gonna do it,
because it's what I enjoy doingthe most.
Steph (04:00):
Yeah, and you know, a lifelong thing. I definitely
didn't know how to sew attwelve.
Carly (04:05):
Yeah, I made my first pair of pyjamas when I was
twelve.
Steph (04:09):
Gosh, you were way ahead of us. Yeah. Cool. And so
rounding that out. So yes, youwork in textiles. And so and
what other mediums stillinfluence your work or come into
your work? Or has it shiftedback and is it dominated by
textiles?
Carly (04:25):
It's pretty dominated by textiles at the moment. There's
a bit of mixed media kind ofstuff and you know, using
objects or using collage orthings like that, but generally
it stays pretty textiles. I'mpretty I like I don't know how
to explain it. I like how I liketextiles being, everything's
(04:45):
attached in some way or sewn orwoven, or, like I couldn't make
things where things were juststuck down or painted on. Like,
it would feel like cheating.Whenever I run workshops with
kids and they're like 'I justwant to to glue these on' I'm
like nah-ah, gotta stitch it.
Steph (05:03):
That's great. And so there's quite a history with
those mediums that you have, youknow, got that familiarity with
and honed over the years. Butthe actual themes of your work,
I mean, a cross section, aglance at your website yields,
you know, references to Beyonce,Port Power the football team,
(05:26):
Lisa Simpson; what's kind of thethread that's run -excuse that
pun also- What are those themesthat you're exploring?
Carly (05:37):
Well, I guess I it all kind of started I was doing ah,
I just remember being in mystudio and wanting to practice
this particular embroiderythread that I learnt in India.
And
Steph (05:52):
Like a stitch?
Carly (05:53):
Yeah, a particular stitch and it's a stitch they use to
sew the mirrors onto theirsaris. And I didn't want to do
that, because I didn't want tobe just doing the same thing. I
just was interested in that theway that that was stitched. But
so I wanted to stitch somethingcircular. And so I ended up
having getting like a hole punchthing. That was like about an
(06:15):
inch, you know, wide and hadthese Beyonce calendars. And so
it was just about like
Steph (06:20):
as you do
Carly (06:20):
yeah, I love Beyonce. And so it was just like, had that in
my studio. So I was like, Oh,I'm gonna use it with last
year's calendar.
Steph (06:28):
Yeah, good, you wouldn't want to butcher this year's.
Carly (06:29):
Yeah, and stuff started like punching out one of the
image to get just a nice like,warped, pixelated picture of
Beyonce and kind of stuck itdown really loosely, so that I
could then stitch it onto thefabric, as just a way of
practicing. And then from that,I then, you know, started to,
(06:50):
using the same stitching method,sewed sequins around it. And
that slowly kind of grew andgrew. And I was like, Well, I
think there's like something inthis.
Steph (06:59):
[in unison] ...something in this.
Carly (06:59):
Yeah. And, you know, I spoke to a few... I was at Mint
Studios at the time, which is onused to be on Wright Street with
Jenna Pippett and Kate Kuruczand they're my art wives. So
always talking to them aboutwhatever I'm working on. And I
was kind of like (07:14):
I don't know if this can be an exhibition,
but I kind of really want it tobe. And through a bit of like,
talking with them and talkingwith some other artists and
curators kind of got thatencouragement of that, you know,
'these are great',
Steph (07:27):
yeah and tease that out.
Carly (07:29):
Yeah. And like, spoke to Roy Ananda about fandom and that
started.
Steph (07:33):
the guru!
Carly (07:34):
The guru. And really opened up this whole world that
I kind of didn't know about, butit was so in already. Yeah, I
was like, oh, cool, like art cancan just be about, like, these
wonderful things that are partof our identity in our lives.
And yeah, so that show
Steph (07:54):
isn't it terrible that that feels wrong?
Carly (07:56):
I know and it's like 'oh but it's not art' and it's like,
but it is.
Steph (08:00):
But it is, yeah.
Carly (08:03):
and so that kind of grew into this big show that was at
the CACSA Project Space back inthe day. And so that was sort of
my first big show on fandom andit was all about with these
Beyonce kind of shrines, theyended up being
Steph (08:17):
they were very shrine-y and fringy
Carly (08:19):
Yeah so had all the like, kind of natty, you know, tacky,
embellishments, which is reallyfun. And, yeah, following that,
I was in like, Oh, this is, itwas a new world for me. In terms
of my practice, like previously,I've done a lot of work about
the kind of repetitive processesin textiles or in sculpture
(08:43):
making and how that can bemeditative. But it didn't go
much further than that. And thenthis felt like that devotion and
obsession would come throughthrough that fandom and into
these objects. And so I wantedto research that more. So I
ended up applying and doing mymasters. And it was all on
fandom. And that's where PortPower and the Simpsons kind of
(09:07):
came into it. Because they'retwo of my, well that and Beyonce
are three of my biggest kind offandoms. And they are all from
such different worlds anddifferent meanings to me. And so
yeah, through that, I wrote mythesis and had my exhibition,
'Beyonce is a Port Supporter'.
Steph (09:26):
I love it
Carly (09:27):
And that was all about projecting your own fandoms onto
like, other fan... people.
Steph (09:33):
it's like this intersection isn't it.
Carly (09:34):
Yeah, like well, I'm a Port supporter, so Beyonce would
have to be a Port supporter,right? Yeah.
Steph (09:43):
Yeah. And that's nice, because it is that proximity of
the thing that you're soinvested in? Yeah, well, of
course. Yeah. I can speak for usall.
Carly (09:50):
I have kids ask me and they're like "IS she a Port
Supporter?" I'm like, yeah!
Steph (09:55):
I'll ask her; I've got her on speed dial. That's so
good.
Carly (09:59):
Um, Yeah, and so I guess, through that, just researching,
fandom more and finding theparticular niche subcultures of
fandom and and how, particularlythe kind of fan textile and
handicrafting community is quitelarge and quite strong in
there's so many different littlepockets in there of different
(10:21):
amazing things.
Steph (10:22):
Well I loved the... self confessed
about football- but reading alittle bit about the banner
making and how interesting andritual or you know what that
process is like.
Carly (10:36):
Yeah, well, I went and attended and participated in the
banner making back in 2017, or18.
Steph (10:46):
And it's the one that the players run through, isn't it?
Carly (10:48):
Yeah. And so that's all part of it is like these people
that make the banner. They do itin two hours as well.
Phenomenal. Yeah, like, yeah,the size of a basketball court.
And they do it in like a gym.Yeah, on the basketball court.
And everyone has their like joband their role, like there's
people who do the bigbackground, there's other people
who do the letters, and everyoneknows what they're doing.
(11:11):
Everyone has like a place and apurpose. And they're all there
for this joint love of thisfooty team, and for a lot of
them
Steph (11:17):
for this thing that will be broken.
Carly (11:18):
for this thing that will only last for like, five minutes
on game day. But it's all partthat's such a huge part of their
identity is loving Port Adelaideand being part of that
community. I felt so heartbrokenfor them the last few years when
banners weren't able to be madefor the game, since like, for
them, that would be a highlightof their week as well. And such
(11:39):
it's not about the like, actualphysical thing. It's about
coming together as a community.And I think that's what I really
liked as well, is like makingsomething together, and that
connection you have with people.So that's something that I try
and strive for in my work aswell. That kind of...
Steph (11:59):
well I guess that object kind of represents that
devotion? - broken or not.
Carly (12:04):
Yeah. Well in this not many clubs that still do that
anymore. Like a lot of themhave, you know, reusable
banners, they stick lettering onor stick things on
Steph (12:14):
which is admirable
Carly (12:15):
which is better for the environment
Steph (12:17):
But conceptually,
Carly (12:19):
yes, just like as much as that is probably a smarter thing
to do. It's just like, doesn'thave that feeling. Yeah.
Steph (12:27):
That's I guess that's what it is. It's capturing that.
Yeah, that feeling.
Unknown (12:33):
[musical interlude]
Steph (12:39):
Then, interesting. I'm definitely jumping around a bit
here. But the crochet yourcharacter project with Steph
Cibich, and a few other handsinvolved. Like that was
interesting that it built onyour practice a bit more in that
you then got audiences involvedin the making. They weren't just
(13:00):
witnessing it or being told howgreat it was. It's like, No,
you're involved now. Can youtell me a little about that?
Carly (13:05):
Yeah. Well, Steph invited me to be part of that project.
And I think it was immediatelyfollowing my master's degree.
And I was super kind ofhesitant, but interested. And I
was like, Oh, I don't reallyknow what to do for this, but it
sounds really interesting. Andso I had to, like, really think
(13:26):
about my practice, because, youknow, the work I make is so
detailed and involved. Like, Ican't make, like 100 artworks to
fill a vending machine, becauseI don't know how I would do that
and be able to keep the likeintegrity of my work. And, you
know, it's a bit, it's differentif you make something that's
easy to replicate, like on aphysical level, but my work just
(13:50):
isn't like that. So, and I hadbeen to Japan on a residency not
long before that. And I wassuper interested in the vending
machines in Japan, and a lot ofthe kinda, they do a lot of the,
like, lucky dip kind of thing,where you just get a thing and
you don't know it's gonna be amystery box, or there's another
(14:12):
word for them... anyway. And so,I had made the Lisa Simpson coat
as part of my masters
Steph (14:21):
so iconic
Unknown (14:25):
which part of the research had been looking at
these crochet and knittingpatterns that fans make for fans
to make their own fan object. Soit's like, as a fan, creating
something that other fans canengage with their own fans? So
this is funny, like, it's notmaking something of that thing
that someone just buys and has,it is about making an
(14:47):
experience. Or making theexperience of fandom. Yeah.
Which is a little bit likeconvoluted and funny, but so
that's like, oh, I can makesomething similar or like making
the experience of making one ofthose artworks. So through that
I developed the crochet patternand made these little kits. And
yeah, I worked really closelywith Steph and Poss, Rosina
(15:10):
Possingham, on the kind ofgraphics of it all. So to make
it this really cool packagingdesign, because we wanted it to
be accessible as well. But thenstill wanting to make some kind
of artwork for it. So I did,part of it was like one in 10 of
the packs contains a miniartwork. So it's like you could
(15:30):
get the kit to make your own orlike, you could be lucky and win
the little artwork. So I likedthat kind of chance element to
it as well, which was reallyfun. And then it was fun seeing
people get them and, you know,show them unboxing it and if
they got the prize, or I thinkthe like only one little
(15:52):
downside is crocheting can bequite tricky. Some people, like
got them for their kids, andthey're like, oh, it's way too
hard. I was like, yeah, it's notsuper appropriate for like
little kids.
Steph (16:02):
They might come back to it
Carly (16:03):
But then some, you know, diehard crocheters and
craftspeople out there wouldsend me their little creations
and got Yeah, quite a handful offunny little creatures, which is
really, really nice. And yeah,it just went absolutely bonkers.
Like, it sold out in a week Ithink of being at the art
(16:24):
gallery, and we're like, Oh, myGod. So I'm madly. Steph was
like making packages likeputting kits together and I was
madly crocheting littleartworks.
Steph (16:34):
Will I mean, yeah, that went pretty good then.
Carly (16:36):
Yeah, I think in the end, like, it was about 500 or so
that was sold through the thing.And So I was making like 50
little characters.
Steph (16:46):
Wow You had to be productive.
Carly (16:47):
Yeah, I felt, I did feel like a bit of a machine.
Steph (16:55):
yeah you were the machine!
Unknown (17:06):
[musical interlude]
Steph (17:11):
And now, by the time anyone listens to this, it will
be SALA Festival and yourexhibition at POP / Post Office
Projects will either be open ornearly open. Can you tell us
about this body of work? Becauseit's yeah, it's been a little
bit since your graduate work.And it feels like it'll be a big
(17:31):
one.
Carly (17:32):
Yeah. So it's yeah, it's been a while since I've had kind
of a major show of just my workor something that's not in a
group show or like another kindof workshop project or
something. And there has beenprobably a bit of a kind of
thematic shift in my practice inthe past couple of years. So
(17:53):
this work is basically exploringthemes of fertility, motherhood
and homemaking through smalltextile pieces. So basically,
for the last couple of years,I've been tracking my menstrual
cycles, for fertility reasons,and also health reasons. And I
(18:14):
guess through that tracking, Ifound myself quite obsessed with
this idea of like, 'what day amI in my cycle?' And 'what does
that mean?' And what 'how shouldI be feeling?' And 'what should
my body be doing right now' andgoing through this like, real
emotional up and down, both ofhormones and then of kind of
(18:35):
wanting something and thenfeeling like a failed or feeling
like things aren't going toplan? And so I guess I wanted to
harness that obsession intosomething. And in a similar way
to the fandom and that kind ofidea of obsession and devotion,
creating something out of love,this was out of something
cathartic for me, was makingthese pieces. So taking kind of
(19:00):
all of these, these numbers andtracking and making something
helpful out of it, I suppose.Because often the kind of
obsessiveness can be reallyunhelpful too, but it's hard to
like break out of it.
Steph (19:14):
yeah, or do something with that.
Carly (19:15):
Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, for the show. It's going to be I
think, about 25 to 30 works,each work representing one of my
cycles over the past couple ofyears. And with the numbers
reflecting like the length ofeach cycle, so you know, one
(19:36):
piece will be say, have 24 on itin some way. And one piece might
have 28 and kind of goes,fluctuates between all those
different numbers and
Steph (19:44):
That's quite a lot of time represented, isn't it?
Carly (19:46):
Yeah. Yeah. And kind of looking at that as like this
idea of passing of time, butalso, I guess, giving a bit of a
moment each of those cycles and
Steph (19:59):
everything that was in that
Carly (20:00):
yeah, and giving some importance to the, the tracking
of it all and the you know, it'ssomething that a lot of people
don't talk about a lot as well.And so trying to give voice to
all those feelings and emotions,
Steph (20:15):
yeah, all the energy spent. Yeah. And there's such a
nice, well, nice, interestingparallel between, you know, how
disciplined and meticulous andconstant you'd have to be with
that tracking. And, you know,this sort of similar devotion
then of the techniques oftextiles. And there's sort of
(20:36):
data in that, you know, yeah, -Idon't know a lot about
individual stitches- likeon-one-off-one or whatever.
There's some sort of parallelthere, I'm sure. Yeah. And just
that discipline, I guess. Andit's quite interesting.
Carly (20:50):
Yeah. Well I like to kind of set myself challenges when
I've got projects or shows orbig work sort of having like, I
want to do this much. And so Iguess it seemed like a really
mammoth task at the beginning.And now that I've kind of gone
through it and coming out theother side. It was a lot, but it
(21:10):
felt like it needed to be doneas well. So yeah,
Steph (21:16):
I love that you're like, 'I'm going to do this impossible
thing'. And just do it.
Carly (21:21):
It always works out.
Steph (21:23):
Oh, dear. I know, you said that the theme of this work
is a bit of a departure fromwhat you've done in the past.
Are there any -I'm trying not tosay the word 'threads'- running
through that? I mean, perhapsnot specifically to fandom, but
through that honoring of textileor anything like that?
Carly (21:42):
Um, yeah, I think, because I did think it was like
a huge departure, like you said,and making something quite
different. But I guess I can seethe connections between that
sort of obsessiveness andrepetition, and using textiles
and craft making as a means ofpouring those kind of feelings
(22:08):
and emotions into something. Andthen, similarly, I think, in my
past work, I've used a lot of,you know, traditional 'woman's
work' techniques, in a way oflike, elevating that crafts,
making techniques to a more, youknow, high art. Yeah, that kind
(22:33):
of the dissection betweenhighbrow and lowbrow still
follows through in a lot of mywork and still seeing it. And I
guess it's that same of like itfollows that kind of idea
follows through in lots of maybehealth concerns, or, you know,
with ideas of fertility orhealth concerns of people with
(22:54):
uteruses. And those kind ofchallenges that in the past,
people wouldn't speak about,because like, 'oh, no, no,
that's TMI'. And that's, youknow, that's not our business.
So we don't talk about that, orit's like, uncomfortable or a
bit,
Steph (23:08):
it is almost a similar dismissal of
Carly (23:11):
Yeah, and you know, those things traditionally happen to
women as well, which is a kindof common theme in all these
things. So, like, I work withlots of different people of
different ages in my kind ofother jobs and have had some,
like, older people say to me,like, 'Oh, why would you want to
talk about that?' Because comingfrom a very different
(23:33):
generation, it's just not spokenabout. And it's quite amazing
how, through making this kind ofwork, and having these
conversations with people somuch is, so many people are
coming to me and talking to meabout all these things I had no
idea about within their lives.And I think, which is really
nice to
Steph (23:53):
like a catalyst
Carly (23:54):
Yeah, I guess for people to share and say, oh, yeah, you
know, 'so and so I know wentthrough all this' or 'I've had
similar struggles with thishealth thing' or, you know,
giving people permission to talkabout it as well, which I think
is nice
Steph (24:09):
if they hadn't had the space before to be able to share
that. It's so interesting.
Unknown (24:25):
[musial interlude]
Steph (24:33):
I know that you said that you had some great interactions
with the vending machine works.But do you have any other great,
maybe in-gallery memories ofpeople interacting with what
you've made?
Carly (24:43):
Yeah. I think making work about fandom is always good,
because it's a point of entryfor the people. And that's
always a goal of mine, when I'mmaking art or thinking about
art, is trying to make thingsaccessible and I don't want to
be excluding people and thinkingart isn't their thing or
something. And yeah,particularly when I had the big
(25:04):
Port Adelaide banner at FloatingGoose. And that was part of SALA
in 2018, I think. And yeah, itwould sometimes get like people
walk off the street that justlike, oh, this is about Port
Adelaide, isn't it? I'd be like,Yep!
Steph (25:19):
So good because that's got the, Floating Goose is just
all one window on one side.
Unknown (25:23):
Yeah such a great frontage in such a public space,
which is really good.
Steph (25:28):
And that was a very glimmery work, real visual
feast.
Carly (25:31):
Yeah, And it was just fun to then talk to people about it
in that way of 'Oh, and this isart?' like, yeah, sure is.
Steph (25:41):
That's so Good.
Carly (25:42):
So that's always a fun, I guess, side product of making
art. That things that are Yeah,just, you know, pop culture.
Steph (25:51):
That they are probably also fans of as well. Yeah. It's
funny connections. Because Ithink yeah, I think you did talk
about in some past interviewabout the that nature of the
fandom and those connections canbe unlikely but then so intense
(26:13):
based on you know, that inherentknowledge of you know, whether
it's Simpsons quotes, or, likeknowing, you know, you've always
got that friend that go orthey'll love this, you know,
little niche little meme orsomething like
Carly (26:25):
that. And I, I always, I do make a lot of particular
Simpsons works, that are worksthat are kind of like little
nuggets for fans of Easter andother people like, that doesn't
make sense. Yes, it does.
Steph (26:37):
But it's worth it for the one person that goes,
Carly (26:39):
yeah, pretty much just Roy and Jules. Yeah.
Steph (26:42):
Hahah Roy you've been outed. Love it. Well, thank you
for chatting to me. Can you letus know for anyone who's been
intrigued by this conversation: where can we follow along with (26:54):
undefined
your work? And and where is theshow again, this SALA?
Carly (27:02):
The show will be at Post Office Projects (POP), which is
in Port Adelaide, St. VincentStreet. And yeah, so people can
find out more about my practiceon my website, which is just
www.CarlySnoswell.com they canlook at my Instagram, but I
haven't really been using itlately.
Steph (27:22):
We're all guilty of that.
Carly (27:22):
Yeah. So trying to kind of separate myself from that
sometimes, but But yeah, I planto start some kind of mailing
lists. Hopefully.
Steph (27:33):
stay tuned.
Carly (27:34):
Yeah.
Steph (27:36):
All right. Thanks so much Carly
Carly (27:37):
No worries, thank you.
Hello and welcome to the SALA Podcast. My name is Steph
and in this episode I caught upwith artist Carly Snoswell.
All right, Carly, thank you forcatching up with me to have a
chat about your practice. I knowwe didn't go to your studio
because there are some veryfriendly budgies making noise,
(00:29):
so [it's] hilarious that thereare magpies also singing
outside. Hopefully they won'tinterrupt us. But maybe you'll
feel right at home? Before weget started all acknowledge that
we are meeting on Kaurna Landand pay respects to Elders past,
present, and future, and youalso work your studio and
exhibitions often are on thesame land as well?
Carly (00:52):
Yeah.
Steph (00:54):
All right. So where do we start? Should we do it
chronologically and start withhow you came to be an artist.
Carly (01:02):
Sure. Well, I guess I grew up, always enjoying making
things. So when I was a kid, Iused to stitch lots of things.
And I learned how to knit frommy mom when I was like nine. And
I think when I was 12, I got myfirst sewing machine. So they
always really into textiles andthose kinds of processes. You
(01:26):
see they're stitched by numberkits. And then in high school, I
remember really want to dofashion design, I wanted to go
into that.
Steph (01:35):
You were a cool kid!
Carly (01:36):
Maybe. And I can't really remember what kind of made me
shift, I think going to artschool was more, I guess,
knowing that I could do anydifferent kind of art making and
not being limited. So it's like,Oh, I could go to art school and
do clothing or fashion if Iwanted to. And actually actually
ended up steering more towardssculpture and installation
(01:57):
through the, what's it called,bachelor of Visual Arts SA back
in the day. And I think Ifinished up there in about 2012
with honors maybe. And then kindof following that to her did a
couple of residencies overseas.And I guess through art school,
(02:20):
like the textile course at UniSAwasn't huge. Yeah. And I
actually didn't enjoy it a lot.Because it was a lot of things
that I already knew, I didn'tfeel like I was maybe pushing
myself or learning new skills.So I ended up doing things like
jewellery, and ceramics andprintmaking and other kinds of
techniques, and majored insculpture. And so coming out of
(02:42):
art school, I was doing a lot ofsculpture and installation work.
And it kind of wasn't until Iwent to India through the
Helpmann Residency, and then didanother residency for six months
in New York, that I starteddoing textile processes in my
practice, I think kind ofrealizing that, ah, I can use
(03:02):
these really humble makingskills that I'd learned when I
was a kid in my art practice,and also kind of trying to scale
down my practice a bit because Iwas traveling and make smaller
works that I could take homewith me or could travel well.
And I guess that's sort of wherethe textiles came from in my
work.
Steph (03:21):
Yeah. So did you sort of have to make a decision to go
actually, this is a worthwhiletechnique, because there is
stigma attached to textiles.
Carly (03:27):
Yeah, and I think maybe at the time, I wasn't seeing a
lot of textile work around whenyou know, if I'd go see
exhibitions, or I'd see what washappening in the art world as a
whole. Whereas now I thinkTextiles is really really big
and popular. And it's definitelykind of a more accepted and
(03:48):
more. It's kind of in fashion in
Steph (03:50):
Yeah it's very in vogue, excuse the pun.
Carly (03:55):
Yeah, so then I was like: stuff it. I'm just gonna do it,
because it's what I enjoy doingthe most.
Steph (04:00):
Yeah, and you know, a lifelong thing. I definitely
didn't know how to sew attwelve.
Carly (04:05):
Yeah, I made my first pair of pyjamas when I was
twelve.
Steph (04:09):
Gosh, you were way ahead of us. Yeah. Cool. And so
rounding that out. So yes, youwork in textiles. And so and
what other mediums stillinfluence your work or come into
your work? Or has it shiftedback and is it dominated by
textiles?
Carly (04:25):
It's pretty dominated by textiles at the moment. There's
a bit of mixed media kind ofstuff and you know, using
objects or using collage orthings like that, but generally
it stays pretty textiles. I'mpretty I like I don't know how
to explain it. I like how I liketextiles being, everything's
(04:45):
attached in some way or sewn orwoven, or, like I couldn't make
things where things were juststuck down or painted on. Like,
it would feel like cheating.Whenever I run workshops with
kids and they're like 'I justwant to to glue these on' I'm
like nah-ah, gotta stitch it.
Steph (05:03):
That's great. And so there's quite a history with
those mediums that you have, youknow, got that familiarity with
and honed over the years. Butthe actual themes of your work,
I mean, a cross section, aglance at your website yields,
you know, references to Beyonce,Port Power the football team,
(05:26):
Lisa Simpson; what's kind of thethread that's run -excuse that
pun also- What are those themesthat you're exploring?
Carly (05:37):
Well, I guess I it all kind of started I was doing ah,
I just remember being in mystudio and wanting to practice
this particular embroiderythread that I learnt in India.
And
Steph (05:52):
Like a stitch?
Carly (05:53):
Yeah, a particular stitch and it's a stitch they use to
sew the mirrors onto theirsaris. And I didn't want to do
that, because I didn't want tobe just doing the same thing. I
just was interested in that theway that that was stitched. But
so I wanted to stitch somethingcircular. And so I ended up
having getting like a hole punchthing. That was like about an
(06:15):
inch, you know, wide and hadthese Beyonce calendars. And so
it was just about like
Steph (06:20):
as you do
Carly (06:20):
yeah, I love Beyonce. And so it was just like, had that in
my studio. So I was like, Oh,I'm gonna use it with last
year's calendar.
Steph (06:28):
Yeah, good, you wouldn't want to butcher this year's.
Carly (06:29):
Yeah, and stuff started like punching out one of the
image to get just a nice like,warped, pixelated picture of
Beyonce and kind of stuck itdown really loosely, so that I
could then stitch it onto thefabric, as just a way of
practicing. And then from that,I then, you know, started to,
(06:50):
using the same stitching method,sewed sequins around it. And
that slowly kind of grew andgrew. And I was like, Well, I
think there's like something inthis.
Steph (06:59):
[in unison] ...something in this.
Carly (06:59):
Yeah. And, you know, I spoke to a few... I was at Mint
Studios at the time, which is onused to be on Wright Street with
Jenna Pippett and Kate Kuruczand they're my art wives. So
always talking to them aboutwhatever I'm working on. And I
was kind of like (07:14):
I don't know if this can be an exhibition,
but I kind of really want it tobe. And through a bit of like,
talking with them and talkingwith some other artists and
curators kind of got thatencouragement of that, you know,
'these are great',
Steph (07:27):
yeah and tease that out.
Carly (07:29):
Yeah. And like, spoke to Roy Ananda about fandom and that
started.
Steph (07:33):
the guru!
Carly (07:34):
The guru. And really opened up this whole world that
I kind of didn't know about, butit was so in already. Yeah, I
was like, oh, cool, like art cancan just be about, like, these
wonderful things that are partof our identity in our lives.
And yeah, so that show
Steph (07:54):
isn't it terrible that that feels wrong?
Carly (07:56):
I know and it's like 'oh but it's not art' and it's like,
but it is.
Steph (08:00):
But it is, yeah.
Carly (08:03):
and so that kind of grew into this big show that was at
the CACSA Project Space back inthe day. And so that was sort of
my first big show on fandom andit was all about with these
Beyonce kind of shrines, theyended up being
Steph (08:17):
they were very shrine-y and fringy
Carly (08:19):
Yeah so had all the like, kind of natty, you know, tacky,
embellishments, which is reallyfun. And, yeah, following that,
I was in like, Oh, this is, itwas a new world for me. In terms
of my practice, like previously,I've done a lot of work about
the kind of repetitive processesin textiles or in sculpture
(08:43):
making and how that can bemeditative. But it didn't go
much further than that. And thenthis felt like that devotion and
obsession would come throughthrough that fandom and into
these objects. And so I wantedto research that more. So I
ended up applying and doing mymasters. And it was all on
fandom. And that's where PortPower and the Simpsons kind of
(09:07):
came into it. Because they'retwo of my, well that and Beyonce
are three of my biggest kind offandoms. And they are all from
such different worlds anddifferent meanings to me. And so
yeah, through that, I wrote mythesis and had my exhibition,
'Beyonce is a Port Supporter'.
Steph (09:26):
I love it
Carly (09:27):
And that was all about projecting your own fandoms onto
like, other fan... people.
Steph (09:33):
it's like this intersection isn't it.
Carly (09:34):
Yeah, like well, I'm a Port supporter, so Beyonce would
have to be a Port supporter,right? Yeah.
Steph (09:43):
Yeah. And that's nice, because it is that proximity of
the thing that you're soinvested in? Yeah, well, of
course. Yeah. I can speak for usall.
Carly (09:50):
I have kids ask me and they're like "IS she a Port
Supporter?" I'm like, yeah!
Steph (09:55):
I'll ask her; I've got her on speed dial. That's so
good.
Carly (09:59):
Um, Yeah, and so I guess, through that, just researching,
fandom more and finding theparticular niche subcultures of
fandom and and how, particularlythe kind of fan textile and
handicrafting community is quitelarge and quite strong in
there's so many different littlepockets in there of different
(10:21):
amazing things.
Steph (10:22):
Well I loved the... self confessed
about football- but reading alittle bit about the banner
making and how interesting andritual or you know what that
process is like.
Carly (10:36):
Yeah, well, I went and attended and participated in the
banner making back in 2017, or18.
Steph (10:46):
And it's the one that the players run through, isn't it?
Carly (10:48):
Yeah. And so that's all part of it is like these people
that make the banner. They do itin two hours as well.
Phenomenal. Yeah, like, yeah,the size of a basketball court.
And they do it in like a gym.Yeah, on the basketball court.
And everyone has their like joband their role, like there's
people who do the bigbackground, there's other people
who do the letters, and everyoneknows what they're doing.
(11:11):
Everyone has like a place and apurpose. And they're all there
for this joint love of thisfooty team, and for a lot of
them
Steph (11:17):
for this thing that will be broken.
Carly (11:18):
for this thing that will only last for like, five minutes
on game day. But it's all partthat's such a huge part of their
identity is loving Port Adelaideand being part of that
community. I felt so heartbrokenfor them the last few years when
banners weren't able to be madefor the game, since like, for
them, that would be a highlightof their week as well. And such
(11:39):
it's not about the like, actualphysical thing. It's about
coming together as a community.And I think that's what I really
liked as well, is like makingsomething together, and that
connection you have with people.So that's something that I try
and strive for in my work aswell. That kind of...
Steph (11:59):
well I guess that object kind of represents that
devotion? - broken or not.
Carly (12:04):
Yeah. Well in this not many clubs that still do that
anymore. Like a lot of themhave, you know, reusable
banners, they stick lettering onor stick things on
Steph (12:14):
which is admirable
Carly (12:15):
which is better for the environment
Steph (12:17):
But conceptually,
Carly (12:19):
yes, just like as much as that is probably a smarter thing
to do. It's just like, doesn'thave that feeling. Yeah.
Steph (12:27):
That's I guess that's what it is. It's capturing that.
Yeah, that feeling.
Unknown (12:33):
[musical interlude]
Steph (12:39):
Then, interesting. I'm definitely jumping around a bit
here. But the crochet yourcharacter project with Steph
Cibich, and a few other handsinvolved. Like that was
interesting that it built onyour practice a bit more in that
you then got audiences involvedin the making. They weren't just
(13:00):
witnessing it or being told howgreat it was. It's like, No,
you're involved now. Can youtell me a little about that?
Carly (13:05):
Yeah. Well, Steph invited me to be part of that project.
And I think it was immediatelyfollowing my master's degree.
And I was super kind ofhesitant, but interested. And I
was like, Oh, I don't reallyknow what to do for this, but it
sounds really interesting. Andso I had to, like, really think
(13:26):
about my practice, because, youknow, the work I make is so
detailed and involved. Like, Ican't make, like 100 artworks to
fill a vending machine, becauseI don't know how I would do that
and be able to keep the likeintegrity of my work. And, you
know, it's a bit, it's differentif you make something that's
easy to replicate, like on aphysical level, but my work just
(13:50):
isn't like that. So, and I hadbeen to Japan on a residency not
long before that. And I wassuper interested in the vending
machines in Japan, and a lot ofthe kinda, they do a lot of the,
like, lucky dip kind of thing,where you just get a thing and
you don't know it's gonna be amystery box, or there's another
(14:12):
word for them... anyway. And so,I had made the Lisa Simpson coat
as part of my masters
Steph (14:21):
so iconic
Unknown (14:25):
which part of the research had been looking at
these crochet and knittingpatterns that fans make for fans
to make their own fan object. Soit's like, as a fan, creating
something that other fans canengage with their own fans? So
this is funny, like, it's notmaking something of that thing
that someone just buys and has,it is about making an
(14:47):
experience. Or making theexperience of fandom. Yeah.
Which is a little bit likeconvoluted and funny, but so
that's like, oh, I can makesomething similar or like making
the experience of making one ofthose artworks. So through that
I developed the crochet patternand made these little kits. And
yeah, I worked really closelywith Steph and Poss, Rosina
(15:10):
Possingham, on the kind ofgraphics of it all. So to make
it this really cool packagingdesign, because we wanted it to
be accessible as well. But thenstill wanting to make some kind
of artwork for it. So I did,part of it was like one in 10 of
the packs contains a miniartwork. So it's like you could
(15:30):
get the kit to make your own orlike, you could be lucky and win
the little artwork. So I likedthat kind of chance element to
it as well, which was reallyfun. And then it was fun seeing
people get them and, you know,show them unboxing it and if
they got the prize, or I thinkthe like only one little
(15:52):
downside is crocheting can bequite tricky. Some people, like
got them for their kids, andthey're like, oh, it's way too
hard. I was like, yeah, it's notsuper appropriate for like
little kids.
Steph (16:02):
They might come back to it
Carly (16:03):
But then some, you know, diehard crocheters and
craftspeople out there wouldsend me their little creations
and got Yeah, quite a handful offunny little creatures, which is
really, really nice. And yeah,it just went absolutely bonkers.
Like, it sold out in a week Ithink of being at the art
(16:24):
gallery, and we're like, Oh, myGod. So I'm madly. Steph was
like making packages likeputting kits together and I was
madly crocheting littleartworks.
Steph (16:34):
Will I mean, yeah, that went pretty good then.
Carly (16:36):
Yeah, I think in the end, like, it was about 500 or so
that was sold through the thing.And So I was making like 50
little characters.
Steph (16:46):
Wow You had to be productive.
Carly (16:47):
Yeah, I felt, I did feel like a bit of a machine.
Steph (16:55):
yeah you were the machine!
Unknown (17:06):
[musical interlude]
Steph (17:11):
And now, by the time anyone listens to this, it will
be SALA Festival and yourexhibition at POP / Post Office
Projects will either be open ornearly open. Can you tell us
about this body of work? Becauseit's yeah, it's been a little
bit since your graduate work.And it feels like it'll be a big
(17:31):
one.
Carly (17:32):
Yeah. So it's yeah, it's been a while since I've had kind
of a major show of just my workor something that's not in a
group show or like another kindof workshop project or
something. And there has beenprobably a bit of a kind of
thematic shift in my practice inthe past couple of years. So
(17:53):
this work is basically exploringthemes of fertility, motherhood
and homemaking through smalltextile pieces. So basically,
for the last couple of years,I've been tracking my menstrual
cycles, for fertility reasons,and also health reasons. And I
(18:14):
guess through that tracking, Ifound myself quite obsessed with
this idea of like, 'what day amI in my cycle?' And 'what does
that mean?' And what 'how shouldI be feeling?' And 'what should
my body be doing right now' andgoing through this like, real
emotional up and down, both ofhormones and then of kind of
(18:35):
wanting something and thenfeeling like a failed or feeling
like things aren't going toplan? And so I guess I wanted to
harness that obsession intosomething. And in a similar way
to the fandom and that kind ofidea of obsession and devotion,
creating something out of love,this was out of something
cathartic for me, was makingthese pieces. So taking kind of
(19:00):
all of these, these numbers andtracking and making something
helpful out of it, I suppose.Because often the kind of
obsessiveness can be reallyunhelpful too, but it's hard to
like break out of it.
Steph (19:14):
yeah, or do something with that.
Carly (19:15):
Yeah. Yeah. So yeah, for the show. It's going to be I
think, about 25 to 30 works,each work representing one of my
cycles over the past couple ofyears. And with the numbers
reflecting like the length ofeach cycle, so you know, one
(19:36):
piece will be say, have 24 on itin some way. And one piece might
have 28 and kind of goes,fluctuates between all those
different numbers and
Steph (19:44):
That's quite a lot of time represented, isn't it?
Carly (19:46):
Yeah. Yeah. And kind of looking at that as like this
idea of passing of time, butalso, I guess, giving a bit of a
moment each of those cycles and
Steph (19:59):
everything that was in that
Carly (20:00):
yeah, and giving some importance to the, the tracking
of it all and the you know, it'ssomething that a lot of people
don't talk about a lot as well.And so trying to give voice to
all those feelings and emotions,
Steph (20:15):
yeah, all the energy spent. Yeah. And there's such a
nice, well, nice, interestingparallel between, you know, how
disciplined and meticulous andconstant you'd have to be with
that tracking. And, you know,this sort of similar devotion
then of the techniques oftextiles. And there's sort of
(20:36):
data in that, you know, yeah, -Idon't know a lot about
individual stitches- likeon-one-off-one or whatever.
There's some sort of parallelthere, I'm sure. Yeah. And just
that discipline, I guess. Andit's quite interesting.
Carly (20:50):
Yeah. Well I like to kind of set myself challenges when
I've got projects or shows orbig work sort of having like, I
want to do this much. And so Iguess it seemed like a really
mammoth task at the beginning.And now that I've kind of gone
through it and coming out theother side. It was a lot, but it
(21:10):
felt like it needed to be doneas well. So yeah,
Steph (21:16):
I love that you're like, 'I'm going to do this impossible
thing'. And just do it.
Carly (21:21):
It always works out.
Steph (21:23):
Oh, dear. I know, you said that the theme of this work
is a bit of a departure fromwhat you've done in the past.
Are there any -I'm trying not tosay the word 'threads'- running
through that? I mean, perhapsnot specifically to fandom, but
through that honoring of textileor anything like that?
Carly (21:42):
Um, yeah, I think, because I did think it was like
a huge departure, like you said,and making something quite
different. But I guess I can seethe connections between that
sort of obsessiveness andrepetition, and using textiles
and craft making as a means ofpouring those kind of feelings
(22:08):
and emotions into something. Andthen, similarly, I think, in my
past work, I've used a lot of,you know, traditional 'woman's
work' techniques, in a way oflike, elevating that crafts,
making techniques to a more, youknow, high art. Yeah, that kind
(22:33):
of the dissection betweenhighbrow and lowbrow still
follows through in a lot of mywork and still seeing it. And I
guess it's that same of like itfollows that kind of idea
follows through in lots of maybehealth concerns, or, you know,
with ideas of fertility orhealth concerns of people with
(22:54):
uteruses. And those kind ofchallenges that in the past,
people wouldn't speak about,because like, 'oh, no, no,
that's TMI'. And that's, youknow, that's not our business.
So we don't talk about that, orit's like, uncomfortable or a
bit,
Steph (23:08):
it is almost a similar dismissal of
Carly (23:11):
Yeah, and you know, those things traditionally happen to
women as well, which is a kindof common theme in all these
things. So, like, I work withlots of different people of
different ages in my kind ofother jobs and have had some,
like, older people say to me,like, 'Oh, why would you want to
talk about that?' Because comingfrom a very different
(23:33):
generation, it's just not spokenabout. And it's quite amazing
how, through making this kind ofwork, and having these
conversations with people somuch is, so many people are
coming to me and talking to meabout all these things I had no
idea about within their lives.And I think, which is really
nice to
Steph (23:53):
like a catalyst
Carly (23:54):
Yeah, I guess for people to share and say, oh, yeah, you
know, 'so and so I know wentthrough all this' or 'I've had
similar struggles with thishealth thing' or, you know,
giving people permission to talkabout it as well, which I think
is nice
Steph (24:09):
if they hadn't had the space before to be able to share
that. It's so interesting.
Unknown (24:25):
[musial interlude]
Steph (24:33):
I know that you said that you had some great interactions
with the vending machine works.But do you have any other great,
maybe in-gallery memories ofpeople interacting with what
you've made?
Carly (24:43):
Yeah. I think making work about fandom is always good,
because it's a point of entryfor the people. And that's
always a goal of mine, when I'mmaking art or thinking about
art, is trying to make thingsaccessible and I don't want to
be excluding people and thinkingart isn't their thing or
something. And yeah,particularly when I had the big
(25:04):
Port Adelaide banner at FloatingGoose. And that was part of SALA
in 2018, I think. And yeah, itwould sometimes get like people
walk off the street that justlike, oh, this is about Port
Adelaide, isn't it? I'd be like,Yep!
Steph (25:19):
So good because that's got the, Floating Goose is just
all one window on one side.
Unknown (25:23):
Yeah such a great frontage in such a public space,
which is really good.
Steph (25:28):
And that was a very glimmery work, real visual
feast.
Carly (25:31):
Yeah, And it was just fun to then talk to people about it
in that way of 'Oh, and this isart?' like, yeah, sure is.
Steph (25:41):
That's so Good.
Carly (25:42):
So that's always a fun, I guess, side product of making
art. That things that are Yeah,just, you know, pop culture.
Steph (25:51):
That they are probably also fans of as well. Yeah. It's
funny connections. Because Ithink yeah, I think you did talk
about in some past interviewabout the that nature of the
fandom and those connections canbe unlikely but then so intense
(26:13):
based on you know, that inherentknowledge of you know, whether
it's Simpsons quotes, or, likeknowing, you know, you've always
got that friend that go orthey'll love this, you know,
little niche little meme orsomething like
Carly (26:25):
that. And I, I always, I do make a lot of particular
Simpsons works, that are worksthat are kind of like little
nuggets for fans of Easter andother people like, that doesn't
make sense. Yes, it does.
Steph (26:37):
But it's worth it for the one person that goes,
Carly (26:39):
yeah, pretty much just Roy and Jules. Yeah.
Steph (26:42):
Hahah Roy you've been outed. Love it. Well, thank you
for chatting to me. Can you letus know for anyone who's been
intrigued by this conversation: where can we follow along with (26:54):
undefined
your work? And and where is theshow again, this SALA?
Carly (27:02):
The show will be at Post Office Projects (POP), which is
in Port Adelaide, St. VincentStreet. And yeah, so people can
find out more about my practiceon my website, which is just
www.CarlySnoswell.com they canlook at my Instagram, but I
haven't really been using itlately.
Steph (27:22):
We're all guilty of that.
Carly (27:22):
Yeah. So trying to kind of separate myself from that
sometimes, but But yeah, I planto start some kind of mailing
lists. Hopefully.
Steph (27:33):
stay tuned.
Carly (27:34):
Yeah.
Steph (27:36):
All right. Thanks so much Carly
Carly (27:37):
No worries, thank you.
Popular Podcasts
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.
24/7 News: The Latest
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.