l a u r a  e.  k e n n e d y

Laura E. Kennedy is a visual artist currently based in nipaluna/Hobart, Tasmania. Her framed drawings aspire to emulate the works of the European Old Masters. However, the works are actually constructed from traditionally inferior materials and utilise contemporary technologies such as laser-cutting and 3D printing. Kennedy uses her playful and intentionally long-winded titles to humorously highlight the plight of animals and other humanitarian causes.

 

For this suite of works Laura E. Kennedy sought to portray rare plumage mutations that have been witnessed on various Australian native birds. Each of these remarkable animals has become something of a local celebrity in the geographical range that they inhabit. The singularity of their appearance ensures that they are far easier to identify and track. Unfortunately, this uniqueness also means that they are vulnerable to not only natural predation but also to being captured and smuggled by humans.

 

In response to this plight, the artist sought to surround the birds with picture frames that contain ironically tactile embellishments. Despite enduring multiple setbacks during the process, she was conceptually committed to including Braille in the compositions as the ultimate “touchable” pattern. Kennedy also utilised her experiences from her day job as an attendant at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery to include fragmented depictions of the fingerprints that she is frequently attempting to prevent from appearing on the collection items. 

 

The layout of the frames was inspired by the angular motifs of the historical Dutch Baroque period. Adding another layer of duplicity, the artist used the thoroughly contemporary combination of laser cutting and 3D printing to produce the specifically customised designs. Kennedy then finished the cheap, inferior materials with a metallic waxed pigment aiming for a convincingly artful disguise.