'Skin, Surfaces and Shadows' was created by Tommaso Durante in 2004 during his stay in Bundanon (gifted to the Australian people by Arthur & Yvonne Boyd - South East Australia) as international artist in residence and it was enriched during the artist’s stay in Broome (Western Australia) in 2005. On that occasion he collected the raw materials that were subsequently wrought to develop the actual bookwork.On the edge of artistic practice and philosophical inspiration, 'Skin, Surfaces and Shadows' pushes the boundaries of art, craft and design by combining digital technologies with traditional techniques and materials. Durante visually explores the surfaces of organic things (trees, surface textures, etc.) and the figurative dividing line of the shadow. The poet Wallace-Crabbe responds to these images in words. The poet and the artist flit in and out of shadows, skin and the surfaces of paper and life.(a) prints, artist's book (80 pages), ink; Somerset Book White paper (175gsm), digital images, printed in eight inkjet colour pigments, from digital files. Set in digital typefaces Utopia STD Display, Italic and Bold, Frutiger 57 Condensed, 67 Bold Condensed, and 56 Italic. Section sewn around 3 tapes. Full paper binding with blind blocking on front cover handmade head and tail bands. (b) CD of slide presentation to accompany bookwork on display Primary Insc: In black biro, signed and editioned by Tommaso Durante and Chris Wallace-Crabbe (last page '8/25 T DURANTE CWallace-Crabbe')prints, artist book, skin, surface, shadow, poetry, durante, wallace-crabbe

Silk programs, at that time, were only produced for a very prestigious night at the theatre. Historical note: The town of Gisborne was named after one of the members of the first committee of the Mechanics’ Institution (renamed in 1872 to Melbourne Athenaeum), formed in November 1839. His full name was Henry Fyshe Gisborne 1813-1841. The program, crafted of printed silk with a silk fringe all around the four edges is unique in the program collection. The program reveals an interesting fund-raising entertainment held at the Melbourne Athenaeum theatre in 1884. As the theatre was available for hire by everyone in the Melbourne community, over the course of its history it was hired by a large variety of theatrical performers, political groups, sporting and arts groups, in addition to fundraising groups, as found here. Proceeds of this concert were donated to the Melbourne-based Sick Children’s Hospital and the Upper Macedon Episcopalian Church – an unusual combination of charities. The Mount Macedon area became a popular place for holiday- makers from Melbourne in the 1870s and many professional people built holiday retreats with beautiful gardens in the area. The development of the area created a further need for places of worship. The names of the people taking part numbered over 70, several having the same family names as those listed as members of the Melbourne Athenaeum at that time but there is no proof that the people involved with the performance were subscribers to the Melbourne Athenaeum. At the time the Athenaeum hall consisted of a large flat space requiring chairs to be placed in lines, with hand-written alphabetical signs to indicate the rows and individually numbered chairs. The hall seated 900 patrons. When the hall was used for balls, banquets and exhibitions all the chairs were removed and stored under the stage and in a room at the side of the hall. The layout of the hall can be seen in this photograph from the archives, taken in the early 1900s. This fringed, silk program was produced for a concert held on 9-10 October 1884 under the patronage of the Governor Sir H Brougham Loch at the Athenaeum Hall in aid of the Convalescent Fund of the [Melbourne] Sick Children’s Hospital and the Episcopalian Church of Upper Macedon. The evening of light entertainment comprised eleven solo musical performances and thirteen tableaux, some humorous, referencing biblical and classical themes from plays, paintings and operasm enhanced with painted scenery and a multitude of costumes.melbourne athenauem hall, the sick children's hostipal, episcopalian church

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