Mandy McAlister

Entropy, 2020

Materials and techniques: Fabric, industrial felt, hand and machine stitching
1200 x 650mm
NFS

The chequerboard is embedded with layers of implied information. Historically places of worship, State and Federal buildings have been adorned with this simple image. It is a signature for order and balance. Opposing this balance is the natural tendency for the universe to seek disorder. The balance pursues entropy.

Left to its own devices, life will always become less structured. The antidote for entropy is the addition of energy. Order requires effort.

About Mandy

Mandy is driven by the desire to create in the physical world. Her practice is grounded in the methodology of fabric creation - using soluble substrates, hand stitch and free machining along with dyeing and fabric manipulation techniques.

Mandy’s current practice is creating works that possess varied scales of visual detail - intended to draw the observer into the finer elements within the work. Her work is often a reflection of personal experience or a response to the natural environment. Currently Mandy is exploring written family narratives that have been passed down through the generations.

Image: Mandy McAlister, Entropy, 2020. Photo: Janet Tavener.