Irene Barberis with one of her artworks
at Langford120 in Melbourne, Australia, 2011
How was the idea of the conference Crossing the Line conceived?
IRENE BARBERIS - I have been working in a global context with Drawing for many years – over the last four, my conversations have been, amongst others, with Professor Stephen Farthing from the University of the Arts London. In 2009 I brought Stephen to Australia through the Metasenta, to exhibit at its Gallery – The DrawingSpace, Melbourne which was situated in RMIT University, while I exhibited performative and more sculptural drawings in the UK, at the University of the Arts London and the Bury Museum and Art Gallery. In April 2010 RMIT hosted an international Drawing Conference ‘Drawing Out’ at which Stephen was one of the Keynotes and I was involved through the Steering Committee. When in Dubai in January of this year for an exhibition at Tashkeel Bastakia, it occurred to me/us through a dialogue with Dr Marcelo Lima and Associate Professor Julia Townsend, that a conference on Drawing in the Middle East would be of enormous benefit to the extended community, and would be a pivot for dialogue on the specificities of ‘Drawing’ – its transdisciplinary nature, the porosity of its context, its marvelous span of materiality, and the multi layered nature of its linage and character. Drawing is a continuum of idea and thought, process and manifestation; it has the capacity to ‘capture’ and be a doorway to most everything and is to my mind all-inclusive. This conference will stimulate and hopefully galvanize Drawing as a presence in the Middle East.
What is the role of drawing in your own practice as artist ?
IRENE BARBERIS - In essence almost all I do is able to be thought of as ‘drawing’ - whether it’s a painting, sculpture, installation and light work, or a step of dance – if drawing is a movement from one point to another, then I have “drawn’, through my acknowledgement of any line in media or thought. Its an interesting discussion really – one which does challenge the traditional and conventional idea of drawing. I was particularly heartened to see dance and movement included in the Museum of Modern Art’s Drawing “On Line: Drawing Through the Twentieth Century” Exhibition in 2011.
How do you see the role of drawing in your experience as educator?
IRENE BARBERIS - When I am lecturing in a Western University one begins - as the curriculum often designates - with the perceptual practice in the lineage of the Western Drawing tradition. From here we can go anywhere !
I think my job as an educator is to recognize and underscore a students ability to think, to make and to dream. If I have the tools to inculcate and shift some of my knowledge to them, to inspire movement and clarity – then I have succeeded. I want my students to address critical thinking and yet to be free to explore and be invigorated by the creative process. Too often I see the educator burdened by multiferous regulations and in the long-term meaningless bureaucracies: it is so important to keep the creative heart clear.
How do you see the future of drawing in the digital era?
IRENE BARBERIS - Exciting!
link: Crossing the Line Conference
Crossing the Line: Drawing in the Middle East - intersections of transdisciplinary practice and understanding, a collaborative project hosted by the American University in Dubai, RMIT University Melbourne, Tashkeel - Dubai.
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