Nyssa Levings

Honours

Reminiscent of an apocalyptic backyard carnival, mirroring the fracturing of society and the self, these kinetic sculptures are made from found and cast materials. Exploring the repetition and desire inherent within capitalism’s co-option of the pleasure principle, I am interested in how consumption overrides nourishment.

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www.nyssalevingsartist.com

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A golden pewter cast hand wrapped in a plaster bandage cast in a double finger "up yours" position. It simultaneously holds a black hairdryer. A yellow balloon hovers in the air above it. The words "YOU COULD BE A WINNER" are hand scrawled onto it with black texta. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, installation detail- central pole of hills hoist, pewter, plaster, bandage, bandaid, hairdryer, balloon, texta, 2022. Documentation by Kenneth Suico.

on the left side, in the foreground, is the central pole of a hills hoist. it acts as a plinth for the bandaged pewter hand, which is holding the hairdryer. the yellow balloon hovers in the airflow above, just below the ceiling. In the background, and centre of the image, is a green balloon wedged between an L-shaped polypipe and the outer corner of 2 walls. a dividing wall sits a few meters infront of this, and a piece of bend steel with a cocktail frankfurt shoved onto it's end is protruding from this wall, approximately 1 metre up from the floor. To the right of the image is a bent piece of orange crowd control fencing encasing a large kinetic sculpture with a black spinning barrel. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, installation view, 2022. Documentation by Siro Cavaiuolo.

on the left side of the image is a dividing wall. There is a cocktail frankfurt potruding from this wall out of a glory-hole. Behind this, further into the space, is a black surveillance mirror mounted onto a piece of steel safety railing about 1.6 meters from the ground. The right side of the image looks into the second space on the other side of the dividimg wall. in this space there is a kinetic sculpture with a black spinning barrel. A piece of orange crowd-control fencing sits infront of it. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, installation view, 2022. Documentation by Kenneth Suico.

a stainless steel metal box on 4 legs encases the bottom half of a charcoal covered barrel. The barrel spins at high speed via a 12 v motor and a system of orange pulleys connected via plastic-wrap belts. a piece of orange crowd-control fencing is bent arount to partially cover the pulleys. Steel poles extend from both ends of the barrel and spin with it. the far end has a decaying parsnip attached to it via plastic wrsap. The closest end extends through the crowd control fencing and has a string of frankfurts attached to it. the spinning of the machine propells the frankfurts into a dance. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, installation detail- found objects, 12v motor, plastic wrap, cocktail frankfurts, parsnip, 2022. Documentation by Kenneth Suico.

two dutch baby carrots are vacuum sealed in seperate plastic food saver bags. They are in the process of decaying, with there leaves and their outer membrane having turned transparent. The point of their roots are turned in towards each other. they are mounted to the wall via metal clothes pegs hanging on nails. A tangle of copper piping sits ontop of the carrot to the left, mirroring the shape of the carrot to the right. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, installation detail- carrots, food saver bags, found copper pipe, 2022. Documentation by Siro Cavaiuolo.

A close up image of the end of a red cocktail frankfurt protruding from a glory hole cut into the white plaster wall. A white powdered substance encrusts the end of the frankfurt. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, 2022, Installation detail- cocktail frankfurt. Documentation by Siro Cavaiuolo.

A windcreen wiper motor retaining part of its mechanical armature, is mounted to the intersection of two walls. two white L-shaped poly pipes are mounted to each side. On the left side a green balloon is wedged between the polypip and the wall. On the right side a green ballon is attached to the poly pip with plastic wrap. the balloons and the pipes loosely resemble the clown game found at carnivals, as well as the way they slowly turn towards and away from each other. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, 2022, Installation detail- windscreen wiper motor, poly pipes, balloons, plastic wrap. Documentation by Siro Cavaiuolo.

A close up image of a black convex surveillance mirror, mounted onto a piece of steel safety railing. In the mirror's reflection is the green balloon/polypipe sculpture and the end of the cocktail franfurt protruding from the glory-hole. — Nyssa Levings, YOU COULD BE A WINNER, 2022, Installation detail- surveillance mirror, safety railing. Documentation by Siro Cavaiuolo.

Arthur Nyakuengama

Caeylen Fenelon-Norris

Christy Chudosnik

Devika Bilimoria

Eleanor Newbound

Jackson Mclaren

Mardi Denham-Roberts

Thomas Retallack

Veronica Charmont

We acknowledge and pay respect to the Traditional Owners of the lands upon which our campus is situated, the people of the Boon Wurrung and Woi Wurrung, who have created art, made music and told their stories here for thousands of generations. We also acknowledge and extend our respect to the Traditional Owners of all lands on which our work is viewed, shared and enjoyed, and to all Elders, past, present and emerging.

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