Emma Fielden: Transforming Installations Through Performance

The Installation Art Podcast

In this episode, multidisciplinary artist Emma Fielden shares her roundabout career path and the evolution of her artistic practice. Starting with her early passion for music, Fielden transitioned into jewellery and drawing, eventually focusing on installation art and performance.

Emma opens up about:

• Life-changing experiences, such as her residency at Art Omi in New York and being a finalist in the NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship at Artspace in Sydney and how these experiences shaped her work.

• The conceptual and material aspects of her work and how much thought and research goes into each detail, highlighting the importance of the transformative moments in her installations.

• The financial realities and challenges of sustaining an art career and creating ephemeral work.

Tune in to hear her take on incorporating science and research into her artistic practice, her take on belonging in the art world and her upcoming big projects.

02:38 Emma's Early Life and Musical Journey

04:11 Transition from Music to Other Careers

05:54 Discovering Jewelry and Object Design

06:53 From Jewelry to Installation Art

08:11 Residency and Fellowship Experiences

14:58 Site-Specific Art and Material Choices

17:47 The Importance of Libraries and Research

23:49 Challenges and Learning from Failures

27:35 Ephemeral Nature of Installation

29:43 Turning to Performance Art

31:28 Funding Artistic Projects

33:28 Documenting Your Work

39:27 Transformative Experience

47:49 Challenges of Sustaining an Art Career

50:57 The Concept of Belonging in the Art World

53:33 Upcoming Projects

Emma Fielden is based in Sydney, Australia. You can find out more about her work and see the videos of her performance works on her website https://www.emmafielden.com/ and follow her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emmafielden/

Also mentioned in this episode:

Sydney Youth Orchestra: https://thesyo.com.au/

Sydney Conservatorium of Music: https://www.sydney.edu.au/music/ | https://www.instagram.com/sydney_uni/

TAFE NSW Design Centre Enmore: https://www.tafensw.edu.au/design-centre-enmore https://instagram.com/tafensw/

Create NSW Emerging Arts Fellowship: https://www.nsw.gov.au/grants-and-funding/visual-arts-fellowship-emerging-2023/24

Artspace: https://www.artspace.org.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/artspacesydney/

Parramatta Artist Studios: https://www.cityofparramatta.nsw.gov.au/pas | https://www.instagram.com/cityofparramatta/

Art Omi Artists Residency: https://artomi.org/residencies/ | https://www.instagram.com/art_omi

Blacktown Arts Centre: https://blacktownarts.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/BlacktownArts/

Abdullah M.I. Syed: http://abdullahmisyed.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/abdullahmisyed/

Merran Esson: https://merranesson.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/merran_esson/?hl=en

Axis Mundi: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axis_mundi

Bodhi tree: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Tree

The Dewey Decimal system: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dewey_Decimal_Classification

UNSW Art and Design: https://www.unsw.edu.au/arts-design-architecture/our-schools/art-design | https://www.instagram.com/unsw

Carolee Schneemann: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolee_Schneemann

Dominik Mersch: https://dominikmerschgallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/dominikmerschgallery

Dobell Drawing Biennial 2024: https://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/whats-on/exhibitions/dobell-australian-drawing-biennial-2024/ | https://www.instagram.com/artgalleryofnsw/

Hanae Utamura: https://www.hanaeutamura.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/hanae_utamura/

Paul Howard: https://www.instagram.com/paulrhoward/

Gallery Funaki: https://galleryfunaki.com.au/ | https://www.instagram.com/funakigallery/

Passage Gallery: https://www.passagegallery.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/passagegallery/

Tarik Ahlip: http://www.tarikahlip.com/

Orkhan Huseynov: https://www.orkhanhuseynov.com/ | https://www.instagram.com/_orkhan_huseynov/

Jean Siméon Chardin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Siméon_Chardin

Sustainable Fashion: https://www.sustainablefashion.com.au/ | https://instagram.com/sustainable_fashion

Margaret West: http://www.margaretwest.com.au/

The Installation Art Podcast is a bi-weekly show about people who love and work with the contemporary art medium of installation.

The host Anastasia Parmson, an artist herself, interviews internationally renowned artists and arts workers about the intricacies and behind-the-scenes stories of creating and showing work that is site-specific, ephemeral, large scale or immersive.

Follow or subscribe wherever you’re listening to this podcast to never miss a show.

Find us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/installationartpodcast/

More information about the show and previous episodes: www.installationartpodcast.com

Your host Anastasia Parmson: www.anastasiaparmson.art | https://www.instagram.com/anastasiaparmson.art/