By Sonia Heap
the Armoury presents 18 works designed and crafted by Sonia in performance with original music and lighting design.
Sonia designs and creates strong and uncompromising pieces that are sensual and do not adhere to convention. Sonia works both for her own artist practice and on a commission basis. Her work focusses on high-end clothing that is constructed largely by hand, made from high quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and time-consuming detail.
But behind the cloth and the couture detailing, Sonia threads meaning into her work.
the Armoury explores the personal impacts of domestic violence. The public and visible face of domestic violence is murder and physical abuse, yet its experience corrodes a victim’s capacity to relate to others throughout their life. The show looks at the destructive aspects of defence mechanisms formed during abuse.
Worked in leather, silk, finest wool cloth and gold leaf, the pieces allude to human, animal and plant defences. The clothing will be dark, lush and striking.
the Armoury is the culmination of over a year of planning, creation and collaboration with other artists and professionals. The music is composed to echo the pieces and underscore the themes that Sonia is exploring – the lighting reflects the emotions built by both the clothing and the sound.
The performance will be held on the evenings of the 24th and 25th June 2016 in Hobart, Tasmania.
Sonia is committed to making a proportion of every ticket to the performance a contribution to the White Ribbon Campaign (http://www.whiteribbon.org.au/). White Ribbon is Australia’s only national, male led campaign to end men’s violence against women. Sonia believes that involving men in awareness raising is particularly important to the reduction of domestic violence in our society.
David O’Byrne (White Ribbon Ambassador) will accept the donation for White Ribbon at the event.
Sonia’s team includes:
Graphic design: Jon Williamson, Inkpot Studios
Original music: Ross Sermons
Lighting: Jason James, Mixed Media
Models: Harvey James Management
Makeup: the lab_ Beauty Method
You can find more information about the project at Facebook-the-Armoury-2016
We need to raise $6 700 through Pozible to present the show to the best quality professional standard. We will also seek Crowbar (Arts Tasmania) funding to further support the show.
The funds raised with your help will contribute to the following:
$ 1000 Music composition and equipment
$ 4000 Graphic design costs – fabric printing development and production, 3D scanning
$ 2800 Photography and video
$ 550 Hair
$ 220 Makeup
$ 200 Props
If we raise more than our goal, the extra funding will allow us to put on an extra matinee show, and go to:
$ 500 Choreography
$ 1000 additional model time
This will also allow Sonia to increase her donation to White Ribbon.
If we meet our goal, the Crowbar funding will be used to fund another $2000 of the music composition costs.
Please note that Sonia will only receive your pledges for Pozible funds if her target of $6 700 is reached. She also only qualifies for a $2,000 grant from Arts Tasmania’s Crowbar scheme if the target is reached.
Between 2010 and 2014, Sonia completed a number of private commissions, including for David Walsh and Kirsha Kaechele, of MONA.
Jacket, laser engraved and hand printed with gold leaf, for David Walsh at his opening of MONA in 2011
Wedding dress for Kirsha Kaechele 2014 (http://www.themercury.com.au/news/tasmania/david-w…
Earlier exhibitions included the MONA Scholarship Exhibition ‘The Three Ages of Woman’ 2011 http://soniaheap.com/Pages/MONA%20Scholarship.html…
She has also been included in exhibitions at Contemporary Art Space Tasmania (CAST), Carnegie Gallery and has contributed to a range of fringe festivals both in Tasmania and Melbourne.
See more examples of Sonia’s work at her websitehttp://soniaheap.com/Pages/Wardrobe.html
This project is being assisted through Arts Tasmania by the Minister for the Arts.