The art of Robyn Backen resides in the sphere of transition, inhabiting thresholds between the elements of land, water and air; between the human body and technology; randomness and pattern. Her sculptures, Weeping Walls, 2000, create the gateways of departure at Sydney International Airport. With the memory of Morse code messages pulsing through fibre optic cable, they repair the emotion of separation as passengers disappear behind their glass walls, and appear to be woven into the wall.

The Archaeology of Bathing, 1999, delineates the transition of the Harbour to its shore at Woolloomooloo Bay, and alludes to the territory between memory and the present. The work measures the portions cut from the Harbour waters and bound into the private baths begun by Mrs Biggs in 1834. Like an instrument of meditation, the sculpture receives the pattern of tidal movement, simultaneously invoking the presence of the baths, and releasing the waters from this enclosure.

Catching ... the harbour 2001 reflected a collaborative process between Robyn Backen, Australian Museum scientists and exhibitions staff, artisans and tradespeople who assisted in its realisation. The process is itself an expression of transition between the practices of art and science.

Backen is currently working on the next phase of the façade project at the Brisbane Powerhouse--“the building that speaks “. She recently returned from Milan, Italy after exhibiting in the international exhibition titled “Imagining Prometheus”.

<http://www.robynbacken.com>