Congratulations to the winners of the inaugural $40,000 Environmental Art and Design Prize exploring the diverse ways artists and designers have interpreted our unique Australian landscape, responded to issues impacting us and contributed to a positive future.
The award-winning works give voice to the interconnectedness of humanity and the environment, provoking discussion on sustainability, creativity, and impact. The winners include:
Helen Earl and Belinda Piggott in the Ceramics and Small Sculpture category for Carbon Credits, a wood, paint, aluminium, and ceramic sculpture speaking to carbon emissions and biodiversity.
Joint winners of the digital, film, and video category, Andrew Kaineder for his video work Mourning Country, filmed after the loss of Budawang elder Noel Butler’s home and the Aboriginal culture centre in the Currowan Fire, and Zan Wimberley for her video work Coal and Ice, using schlieren imaging for flow visualisation to manipulate light to visualise Co2.
Sarah Robson in the Painting category with her work The Unfolding of Reason, coupling acrylic paint and industrial felt in a marriage of natural fiber and traditional technique.
Sarah Robson, The Unfolding of Reason
The artists’ and writers’ collective Kandos School of Cultural Adaptation in the Interdisciplinary Collaboration category for An artist, a farmer, and a scientist walk in to a Bar…, a 56-page newspaper work, created to explore how artists can add fresh perspectives to environmental challenges faced today.
Shonah Trescott in the Works on Paper and Photography category for her work Miraculous draught of fishes, reflecting on the history of the Wiradjuri people and their connection to the Murray Cod, a fish that plays a central role in their creation stories of the rivers.
Joanna Fowles and Nina Smith in the Wearable Design category for DYEVERT shirt, a wearable shirt utilising food waste and zero waste pattern cutting techniques to reimagine overlooked waste materials.
Marta Figueiredo in the Functional Design category for Stardust Lamp, created using resin waste from other designs to recycle and create in line with circular design principles.
The young artist/designer 7-12 years prize was awarded to Selma Lunde Stewart for her painting, Frog, which speaks to the dependence of animal life upon an unpolluted environment.
The young artist/designer 13-18 years prize was awarded to Romy Behdasht for her work Compromised fragility, a sculpture combining man-made and natural resources to represent extinction, conservation, and compromise.
The winners were selected by an esteemed judging panel comprised of internationally renowned artist Euan Macleod; artist, designer, and curator Liane Rossler; and CEO and Artistic Director of the Australian Design Centre, Lisa Cahill. The judges evaluated the 226 finalist works across the categories of Wearable Design, Functional Design, Digital, Works on Paper and Photography, Ceramics and Small Sculpture, Painting, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and separate youth categories for creatives aged 7-12 and 13-18 years old.
Lisa Cahill said: ‘Congratulations to the winning artists and designers. The awarded works presented narratives of impact through the synthesis of important environmentally-focused artistic practices.’
Euan Macleod said: ‘All winning works are fine examples of art that communicate with gravitas on sustainability, ethical design, and social awareness. The winners have represented the tension present between environmental and economic concerns present in today’s society. Congratulations to all entrants.’
Liane Rossler said: ‘These pieces are beautiful and meaningful creations that speak strongly to environmental impact with honesty and directness. The works are exceptional examples of environmental art and design. Well done all.’
The Environmental Art and Design Prize finalists’ exhibition celebrates the vibrancy of the arts and design community within and beyond the Northern Beaches. The works showcase artists and designers who have a keen interest and focus on the natural world, environmental renewal, regeneration, and the circular economy in their work. On show at Manly Art Gallery & Museum are works engaged with contemporary art practice are displayed, while the wearable and functional design category is shown at Curl Curl Creative Space. Youth finalists are showcased at Mona Vale Pop Up Gallery; all until 12 December 2021.
