Murmur (mûr' mer) : An installation by Rosslynd Piggott

Murmur (mûr' mer) noun
1. A low, indistinct, continuous sound: spoke in a murmur; the murmur of the waves.
2. An indistinct, whispered, or confidential complaint; a mutter.
3. Medicine - An abnormal sound, usually emanating from the heart, that sometimes indicates a diseased condition

We are delighted to invite Melbourne-based artist Rosslynd Piggott as guest curator for our annual ‘house of ideas’ Fairhall tour.

Following Akira Isogawa, Pascale Gomes McNabb and Romance was Born, our ‘house of ideas’ series continues to offer an opportunity to reinterpret William Johnston’s collection in new ways. 

Piggott is well-known for her exquisite ethereal paintings and multi-media installations as well as her work on collaborative projects with galleries and museums both nationally and internationally.

In thinking about the concept, Piggott will assemble objects, recollect memories of William Johnston and recall Fairhall as Johnston lived in it.  Piggott will evoke the many facets of Johnston and his life - as a person, a collector and as a gardener. In her sensitive and thought-provoking rearrangement of Fairhall, Piggott will recapture the spirit of the house as Johnston might have lived in it.

Piggott will add to its history with images taken from the archives and layered into the interior.  She will do this through the introduction of some of her own still and moving images as remembrances and responses to Johnston’s life, collection and garden.  With light and shadow, she will also project her own footage of Johnston’s beloved magnolias and camellias that will refract, reflect and exquisitely transform the Green Drawing Room.

Continuing with an underlying theme of her works, Piggott will create ‘both a conciliation and acknowledgement of the spirits who have lived there.’

The Johnston Collection and Rosslynd Piggott wish to acknowledge and thank the following for their generous contributions and assistance with this project:SPACE Furniture | The Friends of The Johnston Collection | Arts Centre Melbourne | Flowers Vasette | JCP studios (Chris Pennings) | MUMA at Monash University | Laurie Carew | Rebecca Coates | Dorothy Morgan | Ahmed Moussa Abo el Naaty | Justin O’Brien | Paul Schutze | as well as private lenders.

Rosslynd Piggott is represented by Sutton Gallery, Melbourne; Milani Gallery, Brisbane; William Wright Projects, Sydney; Gallery 360 Degrees, Tokyo