Artists statement

‘The Missing Parrot’ by Claire McArdle tells a story about Bundoora Homestead Art Centre. A workman dropped a hammer through the stained-glass ceiling destroying the centre of the glasswork where there was a picture of a parrot. The parrots were not replaced as they couldn’t remember what type of parrot was there. Instead, they added a red geometric design to the centre of the glass ceiling.

Claire McArdle made this work at Bundoora Homestead Art Centre while artist-in-residence for the ‘Under Construction’ exhibition in 2016. The work consists of three second-hand hammers that have been hand carved into birds that are local to the area in Bundoora. The individual hammers are titled, 'Sulpher-Crested Cockatoo', 'Musk Lorikeet' and 'Swift Parrot' after the birds they represent.

Artist Bio
Claire McArdle trained as a jeweller at RMIT University, completing her honours degree in 2011. Her work is held in numerous collections including: RMIT University, Toowomba Regional Art Gallery and Bluestone Collective, Melbourne.