The Kinetics of Thought: Tactile Sculpture and Contemporary Wood Design
Presented by Wanda Gillespie
DETAILS
Free, no booking required
Mural Hall
Abbotsford Convent, Saint Heliers Street, Abbotsford VIC, Australia
DATES
Sat 24 May 10am – 5pm
Sun 25 May 10am – 5pm
Wanda Gillespie creates tactile contemporary wood sculptures that explore systems of knowledge, measurement, and metaphysical inquiry.
The Kinetics of Thought brings together Gillespie’s finely crafted abacus sculptures and a newly conceived Newton’s Cradle — developed during her residency at the Victorian Woodworkers Association — to examine how we quantify, categorise, and ascribe meaning. Originally a scientific instrument later popularised as an executive toy, Newton’s Cradle is reimagined through a ceremonial and devotional lens, offering a meditation on the unseen ripples of personal and global actions. The abacus sculptures similarly interrogate value systems, proposing alternative economic structures while unraveling the environmental consequences of our pursuits. Woven throughout is the presence of the prayer bead, shifting its function from numerical counter to vessel for contemplation and spiritual inquiry. These works act as poetic instruments, mapping the intersection of ritual, knowledge, and the unseen forces shaping our world.
Participants
Wanda Gillespie
Wanda Gillespie is a contemporary artist specialising in sculpture, installation, and public art. Known for her interactive abacus sculptures and wood-carved figurative works, her practice explores history, time, truth, and mysticism, drawing from ancient artifacts and nature’s mathematical harmony.Gillespie has exhibited widely, including at the Institute of Modern Art, Contemporary Art Tasmania, and Melbourne Design Week. She has been a finalist in major sculpture prizes such as the Woollahra Small Sculpture Prize, National Contemporary Art Award, and the Blake Prize, winning the Art & Australia/Credit Suisse Award in 2014. Her work has been supported by the Australia Council, Creative New Zealand, and City of Melbourne. She has undertaken residencies in Indonesia (Asialink, Arts Victoria) and at Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris. Recent solo exhibitions include Of Counting and Devotion (Craft Victoria), Crossing the Rubicon (Sanderson Contemporary) and The Ministry for Mystical Reckoning (Stockroom Gallery).Gillespie is a current artist-in-residence at the Victorian Woodworkers Association and lives and works on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi wurrung people.