Museum of underwater art, Townsville
It’s wonderful to see the Coral Greenhouse, of the Museum of Underwater Art opened now at John Brewer Reef, in the waters off Townsville.
I commenced my Umbrella Studio Arts Residency with MOUA in September 2019, in order to produce my own interpretation of sculptor Jason deCaires Taylor’s vision for our Great Barrier Reef. This body of work will be exhibited at Umbrella Studio, Townsville, in November 2022.
I worked on shore with Jason and the team at the Pacific Marine Group production site for Stage 1 in Townsville, in October to December 2019. With great assistance from Dr Adam Smith and Reef Ecologic I travelled to John Brewer Reef and observed the deployment of the Coral Greenhouse, Reef Guardians and other sculptures in late December 2019. In addition, I was able to snorkel on John Brewer Reef. It was also a real pleasure to facilitate MOUA themed workshops at James Cook University in January and March 2020, with more to come.
The MOUA journey is not over yet; I look forward to new discoveries and achievements as the next stages unfold. Magnetic Island and Palm Island will see the conclusion of the MOUA Project, in 2021.
JCU workshop photo credits to Doris Thomas, with thanks.
Aberystwyth, Wales UK
In 2015 I travelled to Aberystwyth in Wales UK, and stayed for a three month artist residency with the Aberystwyth Art Centre. On return I continued to develop work from the residency in Australia, culminating in my solo exhibition Song, Steam and Stone at Umbrella Studio. Below is an embedded copy of the catalogue which contains an introduction by Jen Loffman MA, images of the work created, writing, and acknowledgements.
Tony Fitzsimmons 