About the artist
'Some ecology, some politics, some philosophy and some fiction. All the tools we need for today.' Emily Floyd.
Since the early 2000s, Emily Floyd has ignited a conversation between art, education and activism in a practice concerned with social and political acts of historical retrieval. Working in sculpture, printmaking and public installation, Emily Floyd is renowned for her text-based sculptures that combine a strong focus on visual qualities with an interest in the legacies of modernism.
Floyd's work engages a wide range of disciplines, including social activism, design and typography, literature and cultural studies, community participation and public education. Throughout her career, Floyd has gained International acclaim for her bold sculptural and graphic works that show contemporary art can function as an instructive platform for social, political and cultural debate.
Emily Floyd's artwork is in the permanent collections of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, National Gallery of Victoria, National Gallery of Australia, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, Victoria and Albert Museum and The British Museum, amongst others.
About the work
Intersecting public space with a carefully considered aesthetic approach, Emily Floyd creates bold spaces for public engagement and interaction. An Unfolding Space is a monument to the experience of childhood and gathering. The peacocks reference roaming freely through the spaces of a park or the unfolding architecture of a book or library.
The installation is imagined as a performative space or a stage where a story unfolds. In this way, it is envisaged as a resource for the performing arts organisations that use the park. The work is conceived as a small play space for children. Its presence testifies to the role of Phoenix Park as a community space that is transformed and developed when locals come together to learn, grow and exchange ideas.
Did you know?
The City of Stonnington's Contemporary Collection has acquired four beautiful prints by Emily Floyd; they are currently on display at the Malvern Library.