Marley Dawson: Statics and Dynamics

Marley Dawson’s debut exhibition at HEMPHILL presents new work utilizing a vast range of machining and fabrication processes. Dawson has created a sequence of objects inspired by a curiosity for American material culture— automobiles, model rockets, soapbox cars, things that go “pow.” The resulting works reflect the Australian artist’s highly refined sense of an object’s implied purpose and captured energy.

Dawson approaches the studio environment as a test laboratory, and the gallery or public space inevitably turns into a hall of wonders for experimental objects. He is attracted to materials and processes with veiled significances that suggest the possibility of interaction, i.e miniature rockets created with the same ballistics technology used in weapons manufacturing, and aerodynamic, turned wooden objects made from rock maple baseball bat blanks. The exhibition includes High Speed Counter-Balance Disc Studies, a series of highly polished, stainless steel discs, wall mounted and counter-balanced by means of precision aligned holes in the surface connected by etched lines. The constellation-like patterns suggest motion, and in contrast to their polished surfaces, invite touch. With a single push, each disc will begin a deliberate cycle of rotations.

The Circle Work (rocket assist) series presents a new take on a previous work, Slow Burn (full circle), in which Dawson reconfigured a vintage moped to rotate in an endless circle, eventually scribing a perfect burnout on a white platform. For Circle Work (rocket assist), Dawson constructed a series of stainless steel rockets, each fitted to a slender shaft and fixed to a center hub. When the rocket’s fuse is lit, the rocket takes off in a controlled circle, creating a trail of sparks and smoke, resulting in a perfect circular burn. By varying the length, weight and counterbalance of each element, Dawson induces a range of effects in the burned line drawings.

As the ultimate homage to American hobbyists, Dawson has created a set of soapbox derby racers inspired by the Akron All-American Soap Box Derby. In addition to racecars constructed of wood, steel, and fitted with regulation wheels, Dawson will present a time-based video projection related to the project.

Marley Dawson (b. 1982, Wellington, NSW) received a Bachelor of Visual Arts (2004) and Master of Visual Arts (2008) from Sydney College of the Arts, Sydney, Australia. His work has been exhibited at Roslyn Oxley9 Gallery, Sydney, AU; Museum of Old and New Art, Hobart, AU; the Awesome Arts Festival, Perth, AU; Para/Site, Hong Kong; the Embassy of Australia, Washington DC; and Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC.