The famous Bondi to Bronte coastal walk was transformed into a walking art showcase for the annual Sculpture By the Sea exhibition earlier this month.
One of this year’s exhibitors is Wahroonga resident and graphic designer, Lucy Barker, who is using the show as a means of commenting on society’s obsession with technology.
Her sculpture ‘What once was’ is made of six separate pieces of carved out sandstone, each representing a large-scale replica of a recent technological device – an iPhone 4S, an iPad, a mouse, an iPod shuffle, an iPod mini and a laptop.
According to Lucy: “It was really a comment on how our lives and our identity become wrapped up in these devices. You see it when you go out to dinner with friends – everyone has there smartphone right there!”
Lucy says although we’re all more closely connected via these devices, studies show we are apparently lonelier than ever before.
However the artwork isn’t supposed to just be a sinister reflection on technology-obsessed society. Lucy, who confesses she is guilty of spending too much time on these devices as well, says: “It’s quite playful too. Those items bring so much good to our lives, so it’s supposed to be more of a warning.”
This year is the fourth time Lucy has exhibited at Sculpture By the Sea, however it was her first time using sandstone as a medium.
Although there was a big learning curve to the process, she says this challenge was part of the fun, and plans to continue to work with stone in the future.
