Artistic statement by Gretel Sharp & Pattie Beerens:

There’s a mystical power to this earth, beneath our feet, overhead - stretching out in all directions. However, somewhere along the way, our culture has forgotten that we too exist as part of this wider ecosystem, not simply as observers or consumers.

The artwork intertwines the gatherings of people, materials, and places across time, creating lively entanglements of earthly matter, homage to the wider ecological web of which we are part. Ageless practices such as clay shaping, string weaving, nature findings, crystallization and community engagement build the piece, musing upon a humanity that relates beyond time.

Words by Platform Arts Curator, Phoebe Thompson:
“As my curatorial debut at Platform, I’m delighted to present the creative collaboration of Pattie Beerens and Gretel Sharp.

Two Gather exists as a living being in a state of creation, nurtured by two sets of hands. It weaves together and entangles connecting threads of the living world, our bodies, and the cycles of time that hold us. A growth of earthly elements is accompanied by a soundtrack of mutterings of matter as the audience is encouraged to meditate upon their own embodies experiences.

The collaboration between Pattie Beerens and Gretel sharp is an exciting one: parallels between practices continue to reveal themselves as the conversations unfold. There’s a beauty in being partially blind to the final being of the installation. I can’t wait to see what it becomes.”