Rust & Lace' by Nathalie Bastier

This line of work signifies a strong change in direction in my creativity.It was sparked by a trip to Broken Hill and an exploratory visit to an abandoned tip, the discovery of which felt like stepping into a treasure trove. The soil was littered with more shades and shapes of rusty pieces that I could ever create with any paint. I was instantly inspired.This flow of creativity was further ignited by a gift of many old watch pieces and parts by a friendly watch repairer.The diversity of rusted metals bits called for a complementing use of old and odd pieces I had accumulated over the years from visits to old relatives’ attics, French flea markets, garage sales, antiques and collectable fairs in Australia.I delight in the intercultural mix of oddities and their interplay of textures, colours, contrasts and past meanings. The richness of rust is alive with flaky and friable textures, their fragility simultaneously complementing and contrasting beautifully with the delicateness of old handcrafted laces, each subject to the traces of time passing.There is a subtle visual dialogue occurring between these vestiges and objects, textures, shapes and colours informing how they're come together in one art piece. It is a dialogue I carefully listen to, as to not obstruct the intrinsic beauty of each separate element in the act of being combined to others.Drawn from an extensive variety of cultural contexts, I look for their harmony-enhancing properties to create new mixed intercultural eco-worlds.