Breakaway a collaboration for Tutti artists

The Breakaway odradekaeaf program exhibiting at the Australian Experimental Art Foundation brought together emerging artists from the broader Adelaide community and artists working from Tutti Visual Arts Studio. 

The odradekaeaf season exposes emerging talent from Adelaide artists who are working in experimental forms and processes that ‘Break-away’ from traditional ‘norms’.

Scott Pyle & Henry Jock Walker, Jenna May & Lilly Buttrose and James Kurtz & Celeste Aldahn all collaborated to create one work between each pair of artists. The new work are complemented by a text of transcribed conversations about the works, between the artists and Madison Bycroft, an emerging artist and curator facilitating the project.

The final instalment of the Breakaway odradekaeaf series bring together James Kurtz and Celeste Aldahn.

James and Celeste at the opening of Breakaway

The interview with James and Celeste conducted by the Breakaway odradekaeaf facilitator and curator Madison Bycroft explored the artists making processes and ideas;

Madison Bycroft: Hi James and Celeste, tell me about what have you been making.

Celeste Aldahn: James and I met weekly. We both agreed to make a collaborative video, using James’ illustrations, and a collaborative illustration, as a backdrop. The main idea was inspired by James’ love of games, but our own interpretation.
James Kurtze: We’ve been making an artwork like Sonic, a version of Sonic. You know the hedgehog? From Sega games. I will be Sonic, a monster hunter.
CA: …and I am the squirming creatures in a mysterious preview to a video game…..
JK: Celeste came in once a week, on Tuesdays.
CA: We had been meeting semi-regularly since January! But most of this time was spent discussing a broad range of ideas to make sure we settled on something that was original to our collaboration.
JK: Sonic is copyrighted, so we had to make our own version. They call it Sega, I call it Jega.

MB: Are your approaches similar or very different?

CA: We approach making in very different ways, I am quite a scrappy worker and like to approach making with freedom to make mistakes (I like that, to me mistakes leave an element of the human in the work), but James likes to really think his work through and spends a lot of time researching and planning.

MB: How is the work important?

CA: Sometimes the idea to just keep making is good enough. Not everything you make will be a masterpiece or be communicating a deep or necessary concept.
JK: I hope people will enjoy the work. Some parts might be funny.
CA: In my opinion, it’s enough that it could inspire others, or new ideas in yourself.

MB: Any thoughts on this collaboration?

CA: Working with James was challenging because we approached making in very different ways, which made collaboration tricky. But challenging is good, it gives us an opportunity to learn and grow toward the next challenge and opportunity!
MB: James, how did you find collaborating on this project?
JK: Wicked. The best part is making new friends. Some times it’s difficult but you get used it.

The final work/collaboration in the program is exhibiting until 28 June 2014 at the AEAF gallery in the Lion Arts Centre, North Terrace, Adelaide.