JANET SAUNDERS Finding The Light Through Dark
Single channel video, 4 mins, 2022 Hotel Etico @ Mt Victoria Manor
Music by Noel Burgess
"With a creative trinity, mind, body and spirit, one must yield something back to the generous earth." Eleanor Dark, (1936)
The National Writer's House, Varuna, was gifted as a retreat for writers in 1989 by Mick Dark. It was initially the home of writers Eleanor Dark and Dr Eric Dark. The staff, family and caretakers of Varuna inhabit the liminal spaces, behind the scenes, providing a unique, creative environment.
While writing about drawing, Janet experienced the value of scribbling down ideas and doodling to enter the creative "zone" during her residency at Varuna. Her research explores the role and value of sketching for creative discovery. The sketches, conversation fragments and voice of Eleanor Dark are encountered in the hallways and dark shadows of Varuna. Finding the Light Through Dark explores the fleeting, dreamlike state where ideas, words and stories are formed. Music by Noel Burgess, Australian electronic music pioneer focusing on technology in the production and performative environments and screen media.
Janet Saunders is an educator, researcher and visual artist. She is currently an Associate Lecturer in Illustration and Visual Storytelling at Western Sydney University. Janet’s image-making practice explores visual narratives through drawing, mixed media, printmaking and video. Her PhD thesis, Back to the Drawing Board? investigates the role and value of the rough sketch in the creative thinking processes of novice graphic designers. This practice-led research explores the many attributes of drawing through doodling, projection and patterning, confirming that process drawing helps you think, create, communicate and provides a valuable thinking trail for evaluation. Janet’s current image-making and printmaking projects focus on the stories and emotions surrounding loss, grief and hope. Music by the electronic musician Noel Burgess.
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