One Foot in the Grave, the Other on a Banana Peel
Brittany Walker Smith and the University of Auckland's Artist Residency
Written by Natasha Smith, Director Curatorial
UAP is honoured to partner with the University of Auckland to support the Collin Post Sculpture Award and Longveld Plinth Award through UAP’s Australia-based Artist Residency program.
Artist Brittany Walker Smith, a Doctor of Fine Arts student at Elam, University of Auckland, was selected as the inaugural recipient of the Collin Post Sculpture Award and Longveld Plinth Award. Open to current Elam students, the award will see Brittany’s winning concept, One Foot in the Grave, the Other on a Banana Peel, realised as a large, playful banana peel and displayed on a specially constructed plinth in the Elam gardens at the end of the year.
Brittany recently travelled to Brisbane with Professor Ruth Watson, Elam lecturer, and artist, for her UAP Artist Residency. The residency focused on refining her concept design for fabrication by Longveld, an award-winning engineering and custom metal fabricator based in Hamilton and partner of the Longveld Plinth Award.
At UAP, Brittany and Ruth were immersed in public art curation, design, technical design, advanced manufacturing, estimating, pattern making, fabrication, finishing, patina, and paint. UAP’s expert teams provided hands-on guidance to help refine Brittany’s concept, while visits to key organisations and institutions connected them with Brisbane’s broader arts sector - special thanks to the teams at Outer Space and QAGOMA for supporting meetings and tours during their visit.
Brittany’s concept frames the banana skin as a playful symbol of failure, reflecting her view that mistakes are part of learning: “…these things are going to occur; you're going slip up!” She brought this perspective to the UAP Artist Residency, approaching experimentation, trial and error with curiosity and enthusiasm. Working closely with our teams, she diligently refined her concept design for fabrication. At UAP, we value the opportunity to support artists in a safe space for experimentation and risk-taking, helping them develop ideas and translate their practice into the built environment.
Brittany’s work will make an incredible statement in the Elam grounds later this year, and we look forward to seeing it come to life with Longveld in partnership with the University of Auckland.
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