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Encompassing adaptable sculpture, video and objects from the collection of The Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences (MAAS), Soft Topologies is an exhibition that considers the points of convergence between the body and the practice of charting atmospheric space.
As the 2017 MAAS Research Fellow, Scardifield undertook investigations into 19th century astronomical artefacts from the collection. Objects uncovered during her research are re-imagined as tools of anatomical enquiry in the context of the exhibition, which seeks to calibrate physical and celestial bodies.
Adaptable textiles and sculptural objects that recall clothing racks and fabric bolts are used in tandem with a large-scale wall schema that mimics a patternmaker’s cutting mat. Over the course of the exhibition, invited collaborators—including a sail-maker, engineer, percussionist, fashion designer, architect and the artist’s mother— will join the artist in manipulating these forms and enter into a speculative game of measurement and observation.
Soft Topologies is accompanied by a limited edition pleated publication designed by Simone Mandl with an essay by Isobel Parker Philip (Curator of Photography, Art Gallery of New South Wales).