“Pearl” is a multidimensional sound installation anchored by an interactive soft sculpture of a scallop
shell and pearl. It was commissioned by Maitland Regional Art Gallery through support from the NSW
Government through Create NSW, to accompany the exhibition of Ron Mueck’s sculpture, “Pregnant
Woman”, 2002.
In the presence of Mueck’s sculpture “Pregnant Woman”, I am reminded of memories that are pulled out
of the hazy, disjointed fog of my childhood, accompanied by certain sensory memories; the smell of the
ocean; the texture of a new found shell; the laughter of cousins at family Christmas picnics at Pearl
Beach, on The Central Coast of N.S.W. Every subsequent picnic was a marker of my family’s
development and growth, with a pregnancy announced one year and a new baby at the next.
These childhood memories and musings on “Pregnant Woman” are translated into 3 Elements:
• Element 1 - is a sound collage of Ocean and crowd sounds recorded at the Newcastle Baths (N.S.W)
over several tri