About the exhibition
In 2010 I had an installation piece in M2 Gallery, Houston Texas. It was built around an antique European phone booth and incorporated collage, stained-glass, recycled tin cans and copper wire. It was titled 'Wildflower Communication' and was asking the viewer to consider the impact of human activity on the natural world. Its initial target was the Oil & Gas Industry but, for the purpose of the public exhibition, the overt references were made more subtle and a more general message portrayed.
I was inspired by the wildflowers (planted and managed by the Texas Department of Transportation) that the Texan highways are famous for. They are visually stunning, and do great things for the bees etc, but they also seem contrived and contrary to the broader reality of the human impact on the environment. My installation was a cry from the natural world to be heard and considered as well as a warning of consequences.
Now, 16 years later, I have built a body of work that revisits that piece. It is also based on up-cycled objects and communication methods. The objects were found in various places - the rubbish, op shops, recycled centres, antique stores, FaceBook Marketplace etc.
The natural world is still very much at risk from human actions. My main inspiration over the years has come from the built world (architecture, urban design..) and the environment. Buildings and/or my 'perfectly imperfect' flowers are ever present in my works which are all about light. Some are lit but all react with light to form shadows and refractions.
I embrace imperfection and asymmetry. I also lean into the strength and fragility of both nature and my materials.
Within this body of works there are references to film, TV and radio, a missed phone call, a final photo shoot, an extinct species, a sewing circle, a coat sewn with love, lots of messages from the flowers and, if you know where to look, some political musings.
As with all my creations the viewer can appreciate them on whatever level they please, a pretty object, surprisingly stunning refractions, a functional object, something to think about...
Enjoy, Abbie Scott
Abbie Scott - IOStudio
Abbie Scott is a mixed media artist, designer and maker based between Christchurch and the Tasman region of New Zealand. Her studio sits in the gardens of her Richmond home - a space she designed and helped build herself, beside a restored 1890s homestead. She works mainly in stained glass, copper and lead, often combined with recycled wood and repurposed objects, and is now exploring steel and aluminium. Every piece, except those from laser-cut metal, is completely hand made and one of a kind.
The name IOStudio plays on inside and outside - a studio that opens onto the garden, a practice that moves between indoor works and public art, and a need to create that comes from deep within and is sent out into the world. Always drawn to making and building, Abbie finds her inspiration in nature, architecture and her materials. Rather than copying nature, she lets the colour, texture and translucency of glass play with light - through light, refractions and shadows, Abbie's static works move and change.
Abbie has exhibited in Houston, Texas and in New Zealand, collaborated with artists in the USA and UK, and donated many works to charity auctions. Her work is held in private collections in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, England and Scotland. Commissions are welcome - from aluminium and glass wall sculptures for indoors or out to large corten steel garden pieces. See more at iostudio.co.nz.