Urban Fringe Vessels continue an exploration into the industrial urban fringe of Melbourne where I live and work and my place within and relationship to it. The works bring together two features of the landscape; industrial forms and expanses of grassland, and reference how they co-exist and influence each other.

The interjection of large forms of industry, such as tanks, silos and processing plants, become almost sculptural monuments to human industry. These stud gently undulating expanses of green land. Some of this greenery is significant remnant grass and wetlands offering important habitat to threatened and resident species. Other parts of this greenery are hillocks surrounding fill sites, land sitting idle during decontamination processes or pockets of farmland.

The vessels seek to capture the starkness of the juxtaposition of these two opposing features, and highlight the continued complexities around how we occupy and care for our environment.

Urban Cameos were presented at Craft Victoria as part of the Shape exhibition. This series of jewellery pieces explore our evolving relationship to concepts of value, aesthetics, adornment and my own sense of place in the urban environment. In the thousands of years history of the cameo, this piece of jewellery has been representative of status, hierarchy, wealth and more recently souvenirs of ‘The Grand Tour’, a symbol of cultural status for the wearer. Typically oval or circular in shape, intricately layered carvings in precious stone or shell revealed depictions of important figures such as gods, goddesses, living heroes or rulers.

In Urban Cameos, the cameo is revisited for a contemporary time. When encountering street art, my eye is drawn to the periphery, to the layers of splatters and overspray. This anonymous layering creates an aesthetic of its own. A poetic measure of time passing. A precious piece of urban geography. These moments of human interface speak to the desire of communication and artistic expression. The cameo is an opportunity to elevate and frame these moments to convey a cultural status of their own.

Proudly part of Radiant Pavilion 2021

U R B A N F A B R I C is an online photographic presentation of temporary, outdoor, site specific interventions of small wearable and sculptural pieces into Melbourne’s CBD. These works continue my exploration into the built environment, our experience of, and relationship to it, and how it reflects our societal considerations back to us. The language of materials, placement, texture and colour conveys notions of purpose, function, hierarchy and how these impact us as individuals and a collective.

Blurring the boundary between aesthetics of high craft and functional minimalism, and exploring opposing notions of camouflage and high visibility, the pieces reflect the nature of our place within urban space and how the Covid19 pandemic has informed how we define ourselves and relate as individuals during this time. Introvert/extrovert, essential/non-essential, positive/negative, vaccinated/unvaccinated are terms that have come to the fore, and have many questioning their place and purpose in this ever changing paradigm.

My work Urban vessel was selected as one of 51 finalists for the Victorian Craft Awards 2019.

The piece explores the sculptural potential of forms, materials, textures and juxtapositions found in the industrial landscape of Melbourne’s inner west.

Layering and weathering of material results in soft palettes and moments of beauty, lending a poetic sense of time passing and fading purpose, qualities I seek to convey through the work.

Full Circle : an exhibition of contemporary jewellery is a group exhibition with myself, Sim Luttin and Linda Hughes, being held at Sofitel Melbourne on Collins, with management by Global Art Projects Melbourne as part of Radiant Pavilion Jewellery and Object Biennial 2019.

The exhibition celebrates 20 years of making and friendship since we met while studying Gold and Silversmithing at RMIT in Melbourne.

Shapescape was a solo exhibition held at Alternating Current Artspace, Windsor, Melbourne in September 2018. The works continued an exploration into the sculptural potential of abstracted forms and materials found in the industrial landscape of Melbourne’s inner west where Katrina lives and works. Vantage points are being shifted, forms isolated and abstracted and connections made to better understand our place within the industrial landscape and our relationship to the industry that keeps our systems and economy operating.

Image 1: Tanks and paint spot, copper, enamel paint, 2017, image by Katrina Tyler.

Container was a solo exhibition held at Trocadero Artspace in Footscray, Melbourne, August 2017. The works commenced an exploration into the sculptural and wearable potential of the forms, materials and colours of shipping containers and industrial buildings found in Melbourne’s West where I live and work.

Image 1 : Freight train dosie doe, copper, enamel paint, 4m long x 60-80mmwide, 2017, image by Shane Northey.

Image 2 : Repurposed repose, copper, enamel paint, 180 x 165 x 83mm, 2017, image by Shane Northey.

Image 3 : The Mill, copper, enamel paint, 190 x 115 x 55mm, 2017, image by Shane Northey.

Image 4 : Stacked brooches, copper, brass, enamel paint, 14 brooches each 70 x 80mm, 2017, image by Shane Northey.

Held in Hand was a group exhibition staged at BSG in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Artists were invited to consider the scale and scope of the hand held object. The piece Building blocks invited the viewer to interact with the work and make their own arrangement which sought to challenge notions of static sculpture and adding a sense of play in the gallery setting.

Image : Building blocks, copper, enamel paint, 100 x 140mm, 2018, image by Shane Northey.

Seapod was selected for inclusion in the Contemporary Australian Silver and Metalwork Award held at Castlemaine Art Gallery in 2015. The piece continued an exploration into marine forms and cellular activity as a way to highlight the beauty, preciousness and fragility of marine ecosystems in the face of acidifying oceans and climate change.

Image : Seapod, fine silver, kiln fired enamel, 65 x 40mm, 2015, image by Katrina Tyler.

Collect and Cut was Katrina’s first solo exhibition. It was staged at Territory Craft Gallery in Darwin, NT, June 2008. The works exhibited were the result of a 3 month Access Residency at JamFactory in Adelaide, for which Katrina received a Territory Craft Youth Mentorship Grant.