Hall and Moffats' production methods and material use

"Tender" - Fiona Hall

Fiona Hall has been influenced by a variety of cultures from around the world having travelled to many countries. Halls work such as "Tender" alludes to the notion of botanical classifications and environmental degradation, consumerism and consumption. She often uses many unusual materials that are conceptually powerful such as coke cans, soap, bronze, aluminum, currency, bees wax and many others. In "Tender" Hall presents the viewer with an installation where she has delicately woven 86 replicas of birds nests. Upon closer examination, one is able to decipher that she has woven the nests out of shredded American dollar bills with the words "this note is legal tender" sticking out. Hall has studied extinct bird species of New Zealand in order to create these replicas which are empty in order to represent the lifelessness of the nests. Hal chose to use American dollar bills to show that consumerism and consumption are two of the main reasons as to why these birds are extinct. The nests have been placed in a glass vitrine to evoke a museum and scientific feeling.

"Invocation #5" - Tracey Moffat

Invocations consists of large scale photo silk screens that are rich in colour, #5 in particular has used ultra violet inks in order to capture the moody and evocative colour streaks. The materials used to make this emotive work go far beyond the final silk screen. Moffat filmed two story lines on complex sets in film studios in New York. The girl depicted shows the contrast between youth, maturity and blossoming sexuality. The work was inspired by a dream Moffat had four years prior to when to made it. Its about the dark underworld and the subconscious. Moffat had the theatrical sets built for her and then she constructed the photographs. She wanted to express a blurred material choice between a painterly quality and a photograph which is why she chose to get the work printed on a silk screen. Each layer of the silk screen process is printed by hand, layer upon layer so that the pictures could have a built up quality that is very sensual.