‘Going Through Phases’ by Ellen Byl is made with mixed media and textiles. It is a highly detailed dollhouse. It has four different aesthetics that are represented in the two separates ‘floors. The artwork explores the idea of change and how going through different phases aren’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s okay to change your mind. The artwork symbolises that the story and event that people experience to change their views. Growing up is finding what you like and what you don’t like. People often make fun of teenagers for changing their mind on things and ‘going through phases, but that is okay. You don’t have to fit into a box.

Ellen Byl – Year 12 General

Mixed Media Sculpture

Playlist of Life

This artwork which represents stories and events in our lives is of myself and a bunch of items from my childhood and my teenage years, everything presented means something to me. The whole artwork is made up of myself and my items being the album cover and the outside is the playlist of my life so far. The timeline of the song represents the timeline of my life and you can’t go back in time, which for me was a way of closure for myself. The darker colours around the outside of the painting make the brighter colours that are placed in the middle stand out more and that is what catches your eye and make that the focal point.

Samantha Kennedy – Year 12 General

Acrylic on Canvas

Screens

This artwork expresses how the scales have come off my eyes through having an incurable physical illness. The artwork is composed of nine lino prints of my peers staring at their phones. The carefully chosen hue of blue represents phone light illuminating their faces, juxtaposing the bottom right self-portrait by the cold, stark white light illuminating my face, eyes wide open to the world around us. Each panel is split by red to represent medical procedures, of which I have had many, separating me from my peers. Each of my peers’ faces is tilted downwards or on an angle emphasising the bottom right panel that stares straight at the viewer. I stylised each lino print from photos I took of my peers and myself in high contrast lighting. During idea conception, I was influenced by the high contrast, dramatic light of Film Noir movies. I was stylistically influenced by Andy Warhol’s screenprints, as in many of his pieces he had vibrant and contrasting colours and used repetition to create meaning. I included one of my linocuts to highlight the process and bright more focus to the pain I have endured through my illness and how this pain has made my perspective more awake to the world around me. Living in a generation that is constantly distracted, where gaining a persons’ attention is the highest commodity, has been difficult. My attention has been so fully dominated by sickness, where real connection feels so much more real than being caught up in the vanities of online social life. I have realised through my illness how much of the real world my peers miss. My eyes have been opened to what is of true importance: real connection with people and the world around me sans distraction. My generation is crying out for connection. I do not want my peers to have to go through such an ordeal as I have, to realise that true connection is available all around us. My art piece seeks to make an impact on the viewer to open their eyes to reality.

Ashleigh Sullivan– Year 12 ATAR

Lino Print on Wood