Please Don’t Shoot, 2019, kinetic assemblage, 24x58x18cm
Drawing on the familiar rhythm of fairground attractions like the Laughing Clowns and the Shooting Gallery, this work reflects on the thousands of ducks killed for sport each year during Australia’s duck‑hunting season. When the key is wound, the decoy heads move together in a slow, side‑to‑side sweep. Their steady motion recalls the charm of carnival games while quietly acknowledging the repetitive violence that underpins the activity they reference. Through this gentle contrast, the work invites viewers to consider how playful elements can sit alongside more complex, often overlooked realities.
Materials: vintage wooden decoy duck heads, vintage wooden utility box, painted timber inlay, timber, handmade mechanical parts, and music box movement.
The Collector, 2018, 17x10x10cm, kinetic music box assemblage
Part human, part butterfly, the woman in this work becomes a metaphor for the threatened insect world. A man stands before her with a pin hidden behind his back, its quiet menace recalling the disturbing psychology of John Fowles 1963 novel, The Collector, and his characters impulse to harm what he claimed to cherish.
The Collector is on exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, by invitation of Scott Weston Architecture Design in their installation in the Rigg Design Prize, Domestic Living.
A Year at Glenbrook Lagoon, 8 Nov – 2 Dec 2018
Please Don’t Feed, 2018, kinetic music box assemblage, 24x25x11cm
This kinetic assemblage was created for an exhibition based on the delicate ecosystem of the Glenbrook Lagoon in the Blue Mountains, NSW.
1. Fly Me to The Moon, 2018, kinetic assemblage, 13x12x9cm
2. Fly Me to The Moon, detail
3. Space Oddity, 2018, kinetic assemblage, 55x30x30cm
4. Space Oddity, detail 1
5. Space Oddity, detail 2
6. To The Moon and Back, 2018, kinetic assemblage, 43x20x9cm
7. To The Moon and Back, detail
These kinetic works, exploring the 1969 Moon Landing, are on exhibition from 12 June to 7 July 2018.
1. The Devil’s in the Detail, 2017, kinetic assemblage, 22x12x9cm
2. The Devil’s in the Detail, view 2
3. The Devil’s in the Detail, view 3
4. Mother and Child, 2017, kinetic assemblage, 26x17x18cm
5. Mother and Child, view 2
6. The Wager, kinetic assemblage, 38x38x27cm
7. The Wager, detail
The Devil’s in the Detail
Holdsworth inserts light into her works, creating a sense of film noir in the dark nooks and crannies of her interiors. Working with found and made objects she creates intimate narratives that move from the nostalgic to the dark and subversive. In this series of works, Holdsworth engages with the Kewpie Doll, refashioning it into grander imaginary narratives – from dancing with the devil to Madonna and Child and an interior of a radio that recalls the glory of Pharlap and the races.
Excerpt from Recreation catalogue essay by Lucy Stranger, 2017
1. Honeymoon at The Skyway Hotel, 35x29x14cm
2. Honeymoon at The Skyway Hotel, detail 1
3. Honeymoon at The Skyway Hotel, detail 2
This mechanical assemblage looks at unreliable memory in an imaginary hotel with an impossible view to The Scenic Skyway and the 3 Sisters in Katoomba, The Blue Mountains. On winding the key on the side of the work, the Skyway car can be seen moving across the valley through the hotel window while The Shadow of Your Smile plays on a hidden music box.
1. The Abduction of Europa, 2017, kinetic assemblage, 13x10x11cm
2. The Abduction of Europa, view 2
This work is based on the Rembrandt painting The Abduction of Europa, which, in turn was based on Ovid’s myth of Europa and Zeus. In the myth, Zeus disguised himself as a white bull, and lured Europa onto his back before abducting her. On winding this assemblage, the bull bucks up and down with Europa on his back.
Briteway Soldier, 2011, kinetic assemblage, 17x12x12cm
