WEEK 13: PRESENTATION
Sebastian Moody is a Brisbane based public installation artist who has been working in the public sphere since 2002. After graduating from QUT with a Bachelor of Visual Arts, he studied a Masters of Museum Studies at The University of Queensland. Moody’s artwork can be found throughout Brisbane, often reclaiming spaces that would’ve otherwise been used for advertising. His most recognizable works, Keep the sunshine (2014), Think Bigger (2009) and Built under the sun (2002) are all large-scale texts, with statements that hold deliberately ambiguous meanings. We spoke to Moody about his practice, focusing on the theme of his studio, which is unconventional in accordance with his practice and involves a lot of administrative work, logistics and planning to facilitate his art making. In addition to his studio time, he is the digital communications officer at The University of Queensland Art Museum, a job that has both helped inform his practice and financially support him while he creates his art. The way in which Moody balances his time has to do with his involvement with the art collective 'Creative Move'. The group allows his work to reach a greater influence and helps him distribute his administrative time between his work at UQ and his process in making public art. Thus he is enabled to explore a wider art practice and reach the public more effectively. We spoke to Sebastian about his studio practice.
In the interview, we learned that Moody focuses on large-scale textual works, with ambiguity that creates meaning for possibly any individual that encounters them. Moody's art practice differs from other artists in that it is based on logistics. Much of his work requires an immense amount of administration and evaluation of problems of space. Hence, eccentrically his studio space is virtually ‘the telephone’. Talking to Moody was extremely insightful in giving us invaluable advice throughout the interview of what it is like to work as a contemporary artist.