The Coal Loader, Waverton, 14-29 May 2022

Love Me Tender, 2021, kinetic assemblage, 42x18x17cm

This kinetic assemblage is activated by winding a mechanism that sets two marionette parents gently rocking their baby to the melody Waves of the Danube. The parental figures sway rhythmically while a music box plays a soft lullaby. At first glance the scene appears tender and serene, evoking the comforting rituals of care and protection. On closer inspection, however, the illusion begins to fracture. The baby is suspended precariously from a considerable height, and the parents’ stiff, mechanical movements introduce unease. What initially feels nurturing gradually reveals itself as unsettling.

The figures are housed within an old petrol tin, creating a juxtaposition between childhood toys and petroleum. Through this contrast, the work reflects the tension between care and harm. It questions how we can lovingly nurture our children while simultaneously endangering their future through an ongoing dependence on fossil fuels.

Work in progress – Love Me Tender, 2021

Lagoon 2.0, 12 May-15 June 2022

1. Turtle Island, 2022 kinetic assemblage 10x12x12cm
2. Turtle Island, detail
3. The Duck Wrangler, 2022, kinetic assemblage, 17x9x9cm
4. The Duck Wrangler

This work was created for a group exhibition that explored the ecosystem of the Glenbrook Lagoon, Blue Mountains, NSW.

Miniature Sculpture Exhibition
21 July – 9 September 2021

1. The Anarchist, 2021 kinetic assemblage, 9x11x11cm
2. All at Sea, 2021, kinetic assemblage, 13.5x10x9cm
3. Kong, 2021, assemblage with music box, 11×4.5×5.5cm

Dark Moments, 4-29 May 2021

1. Checkmate, 2021, mixed media assemblage,13x49x30cm
2. Checkmate, detail
3. The Sphinx, 2021, 35x55cm, kinetic music box assemblage, detail
4. The Sphinx, detail
5. Love Me Tender, 2021, kinetic assemblage, 42x18x17cm
6. Love Me Tender, detail

The Coal Loader, Waverton, 2-17 March 2019

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.

 

12 Oct 2018 to 24 Feb 2019

The Collector, 2018, 17x10x10cm, kinetic music box assemblage

Architect Scott Weston invited me to create a work for his installation in the Rigg Design Prize, Domestic Living, at the National Gallery of Victoria.
His installation was conceived as a cabinet of curiosities, taking the form of a six-room abstract diorama of his home. Six artists were invited to create a miniature ‘jewel’ for each room. In response to Scott’s request for a music-box ballerina inspired by a pictorial rug featuring butterflies and other insects, I created this kinetic assemblage The Collector.
Part woman and part butterfly, the central figure revolves with a man to a music-box waltz. They turn on a carousel-like pin-top lid set upon a Queen Bee Polish tin, the found objects subtly echoing the work’s themes of insects, collecting and threat. Behind his back, the man conceals a human-scale pin that becomes a weapon within the miniature world, recalling the disturbing psychology of John Fowles’s 1963 novel, The Collector.
The other participating artists are Maris Cummins, Kirsten Fredericks, Benja Harney, Linde Ivimey and Reuben Paterson.

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.

Group Exhibition – 12 June to 7 July 2018

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.

Recreation – 10 October to 4 November, 2017

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

Ravenswood School for Girls, Sydney
4th – 12th August 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.