Photo Diary… The making of the Anthrocomb Pollen Tea Set
Mike Bianco with his work, Anthrocomb, 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres Photo: Saul Steed.
Perth based multi-disclipinary artist Mike Bianco presents Anthrocomb as part of the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres. We take a look behind the scenes at the making of the Anthrocomb Pollen Tea Set produced within JamFactory’s Ceramic, Furniture, Metal and Glass Studios.
As a passionate advocate for craft’s relationship to sustainable forms of living, Adelaide Biennial artist Mike Bianco has collaborated with JamFactory to create a limited edition Anthrocomb Pollen Tea Set used in his installation Anthrocomb.
For this edition, Bianco has drawn on Anthrocomb’s theme of interspecies intimacy with honeybees, and has designed each object to draw on the colours and forms found within a beehive. To produce the work, Bianco has worked with a number of talented artisans who work in clay, wood, glass, metal, and textiles. For each object in the set, Bianco has selected materials for their relationship to the environment, such as local Magill clay, timbers salvaged from the old Port Adelaide Wool Stores, and glass locally processed in Adelaide. As such, each object is unique in character, both expressing the hand of its maker while also speaking to an environmental sensibility. In addition, Bianco has created both a hand-dyed silk handkerchief made with calendula flowers, and produced a woodblock print on handmade mulberry paper.
Mike Bianco, Anthrocomb Pollen Tea Set, 2020 is available in a limited edition of 10 from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s Gallery Store.
2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres featuring Anthrocomb by Mike Bianco, Adelaide Botanic Garden, Adelaide. Photo: Saul Steed.
Ceramics Studio - Ceramic Bowl
Images left to right: Hexagon bowls are slab constructed within a mould; a wheel thrown foot is added to the base of the bowl; Nuku glaze is added over yellow slip; glaze is removed from the foot; bowls are reduction fired in the kiln.
Furniture Studio - Wooden Box
Images left to right: The wodoen boxes are made from salvaged timber from the Port Adelaide woolsheds; the timber is oiled; the timber boxes are glued and laid up.
Metal Studio - Brass Spoon
Images left to right: The spoons are water jet cut from brass; the brass edges are sanded and polished; the brass is orbital sanded for a satin finish, the spoons are bent to shape using the magna bender.
Mike Bianco, Anthrocomb Pollen-Tea Set, 2020
Brass Spoon, Ceramic Bowl, Glass Jar, Wooden Box, Linen Wrap (not pictured), Silk Handkerchief (not pictured), Woodblock Print (not pictured)
Limited Edition of 10
$1,800 per set available from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s Gallery Store.
Produced In Collaboration with JamFactory for the 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres, Art Gallery of South Australia.
Production Artists:
Ceramics: Stephanie James Manttan, David Pedler, Ashley Hopkins
Metal: Danielle Barrie
Timber: Stephen Anthony, Andrew Carvolth.
Glass: Liam Fleming, Drew Spangenberg, Lewis Batchelar, Bart Rentmeester, Kristel Britcher, Andrew Carvolth
Textiles: Darcy Palladino
Product Technical Design: Dean Toepfer
Creative Director: Daniel To
Woodblock Hand-Printed by Mike Bianco
All Objects Designed by Mike Bianco.