Researcher

My Expertise

Sculpture, public art, energy systems in art, solar art.

My goal is to expand the artistic possibilities for novel and innovative use of technologies and energy systems on public sites.

Keywords

Fields of Research (FoR)

Fine Arts (incl. Sculpture and Painting)

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Biography

Director, Environmental Research Initiative for Art, School of Art
I have been described as a pioneer in, and one of Australia’s foremost proponents of, sustainable energy systems, electronic interconnectivity and interactivity embedded in the physical art object. I have worked with alternative energy systems in his sculpture and installation art for over twenty years.

My work has been shown at the Tate Modern UK, in Heidelberg and Rotterdam...view more

Director, Environmental Research Initiative for Art, School of Art
I have been described as a pioneer in, and one of Australia’s foremost proponents of, sustainable energy systems, electronic interconnectivity and interactivity embedded in the physical art object. I have worked with alternative energy systems in his sculpture and installation art for over twenty years.

My work has been shown at the Tate Modern UK, in Heidelberg and Rotterdam Town Halls, and numerous other venues internationally from Canada, Ireland and Finland to Greece and Bulgaria. I have completed two significant public commissions in Sydney, Weather Cranes (2006) at Newington Armory, Sydney Olympic Park and Earth v Sky (2012) in Bicentennial Park, Glebe. I have also completed several temporary public installations, including in Cobh, Co. Cork, Ireland; Chatham, Kent, UK; and Taranaki, Aotearoa New Zealand. In 2016 I completed a major tri-national installation, Sonic Wells for Gallipoli, which sonically linked Canakkale, Turkey, Wellington, NZ and Sydney, Australia. In 2019-20 I have been touring public sound installations to Perth/Sydney/South Coast NSW/Rotorua NZ/Taranaki NZ with more planed for 21.

My interest in solar power began in 1994 with a work titled Hours Remaining in the Life of Allan Giddy, reviewed in Leonardo Magazine Vol 2/98, MIT Press. This interest led me to curate two exhibitions at UNSW's Solar Research Centre (SOLARCH) in 1999 and 2002, and to win the 'Green Power Prize' at Sculpture by the Sea, Sydney in 2002 with his work Minor Attractor. The inclusion of solar power and energy efficiency is still a key driver in my practice to this day.

I have also curated Desert Equinox, Australia's first solar art exhibition, in Broken Hill (2012); La Lune: Energy Producing Art on Sydney's Northern Beaches (2014)runner-up for two Australian Event Awards that year; and NOX Night Sculpture, Randwick (2015 and 2017), for which all works were created by my students at UNSW A&D. I have also co-curated two significant exhibitions in and around the Armory Gallery in Sydney's Olympic Park: Buffer Zone (2011) and WARA Playground Perspective (2016)the largest exhibition event mounted by Sydney Olympic Park Authority. The most recent NOX event in 2021 attracted a Covid compliant 10200 people over 3 nights.

allangiddy.org


My Qualifications

1992     BA UNSW COFA

1993-4  Post graduate studies with Prof Jill Scott at Hochschule der Bildenden Künste Saar (D)

1994-5  Post graduate studies with Prof Roy Ascot at CiiA (Now Uni of Wales) (GB), funded by NSW Traveling Art Scholarship

2001     MFA  UNSW COFA      'Intersection' - an investigation into light, matter and time


My Awards

1994NSW Traveling Art Scholarship (Now the Helen Lempriere)

1995 NSW Dyson Bequest

2002 Sculpture by the Sea Green Power prize

2013 Runner up Australian event awards Best New Event / Best Achievement in Sustainability (with Warringah Council for La Lune Energy Producing Art)

2015 Highly commended NSW Events Awards (with Randwick Council for NOX night art)


My Research Activities

I currently lead ERIA (the Environmental Research Initiative for Art), UNSW A&D, specialising in the use of electrically motivated technologies and off grid power in public artwork. I have lead a team which has acquitted a major Australian Research Council linkage grant (2009-2013), secured by ERIA to advance the field.

Presently I am working on transportable solar and wind powered media systems to place sound in remote waterways in numerous sties in Australia and New Zealand. Funded by grants secured from Creative New Zealand, Create New South Wales and The Australian Council for the Arts.

My work and research involve a great deal of interdisciplinary collaboration. I work closely with colleagues in UNSW’s Key Centre for Photovoltaic Research and Chemical Engineering Department, as well as with companies and municipal bodies such as BP Solar, Pepperl + Fuchs, Sydney Olympic Park Authority, City of Sydney, Randwick City Council, Warringah Council and the Broken Hill Art Exchange . This cross pollination is vital to my practice. 


My Research Supervision


Areas of supervision

Sculpture and installation/Art and energy/Public art/Interactive art/Sound art/Ecological art


Currently supervising

Mark Booth MFA candidate

Research Question

Can the mutability and visible representation of sculptural form in space be determined by the manipulation and/or combination of a pre-selected set of elements intrinsic to a specific environment

 

Co

Eric Lobbecke  MFA candidate

Research Question

Can a trained hand and mind be a disruptive force within political cartooning and fine art?

 

 

 


My Engagement

I am the international research fellow (new energy systems) at Intercreate Aotearoa (NZ)

I have acted as an advisor for Waverly council Arts committee

Profiled UNSW solar research in 2 solar powered public art exhibitions (2000/2002)

Founded the Desert Equinox (solar art in the desert) ongoing events in Broken Hill

Conceived and directed La Lune - Energy Producing Art on the North Shore of Sydney

Founded the NOX Night Art ongoing bi-annual exhibitions by UNSW students in Randwick city's Eco Park

I am a Founding advisor on Eden Unearthed ongoing sculpture exhibitions

I continue to advise Randwick Council/Eden Unearthed/Broken Hill Art Exchange and events organisers nationally

 

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Videos

Crows unlock the Irish-Australian folk ballad "The Wild Colonial Boy". The cross is sensitive to their every touch, with one instrument present at each point. If the birds cooperated the ballad could be reassembled and play in its entirety, and Jack Doolan would be shot in the face.
Newtown Shuffle A video sketch by Allan Giddy (2004) G=Green Car F=Red Car E=Blue Car D=Pink Car C=Purple Car Lane One: piano Lane Two: cello/violin Lane Three: glockenspiel
Allan Giddy. Stations of the Cross (Excerpt from 4'45 .mov)
Allan Giddy. Newtown Shuffle