One by Geoffrey Drake-Brockman

Biography:

Geoffrey Drake-Brockman is an Australian sculptor best known for his large scale cybernetic public installations. His work explores the social impact of technology by creating optical artworks that interact with audiences.

Born in Woomera, South Australia, Drake-Brockman received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at the University of Western Australia in 1985 and a Master of Visual Arts from Curtin University in 1994.¹ He went on to train as a painter best known for his figurative and colourful works.

In 2000 he began producing his better known sculptural and technology-enabled work, and has exhibited worldwide.² Most notable works include the eleven metre tall ‘Totem’ (2012) at the Perth Arena and Readwrite (2014) for the NEXTDC Data Center, Malaga.

The artwork:

One is an abstract geometric sculpture based on the helicoidal transformation of a sphere.

The monocoque splits into three twisting arms of stainless steel that meet at the apex and the base. It is permanently installed in a busy area on the Bruce campus, between buildings 5 and 8.

Typical of Drake-Brockman’s work, the sculpture’s exterior has a reflective surface. The mirror in One reflects the viewer back to themselves, however, is placed so that they cannot see themselves in their entirety. Instead, the reflection is snipped and reconstructed. We discern the artist’s background in computer science as the sculpture becomes interactive and the viewer begins to reconsider the world around them. The internal surfaces are painted in natural tones to represent the ochre of the land, which, combined with the mirroring, symbolises that every created being is a mirror, and the relationship between the creator and created is reciprocal, thus fostering a sense of community.³ Despite being fabricated as a single piece, the work has a strong sense of movement and inclusion, which are attributes encouraged by the University’s team.