David Harley
David regards his work as being free-form abstract painting this mode of work combines both improvisatory generative processes together with the structuring (retro-organising) of pictorial elements.
Since the mid 1990’s, David progressively incorporated the use of digital technologies (as they became readily available) into the generation and development of his artwork. From 1997, David explored aspect of scale, (pictorial abstraction’s illusionist potential and the incorporation of the virtual anticipation of the 'experiencer' of the artwork) through large format printing. Since 2000, animation in the form of ‘moving paintings’, developed as a part of the practice which allowed for a reflection on the role of sequence in the generation of an image and the role that music may have had in the development of the work. Virtual 3d software as a space to generate artwork also entered the practice - again allowing for a further exploration of free-form abstract painting’s illusionistic possibilities and also the opportunity to have multiple incidences of behaviours operating simultaneously. Since 2009, David also started introducing soundtracks to the ‘moving paintings’ (instead of his former practice of using other’s music). These instead were his own vocalisations to underscore relationships between the nature of improvisation for painting (and the way that music can influence the development of a work). Recently sound has been used as a way of elaborating the dynamics of a multi active free-form abstract moving painting, in the form of Beforegreen, exhibited at the Margaret Lawrence Gallery in 2015. This comprised a multi-layered surround sound, soundtrack of David’s vocalisations conveying the behaviours of the various simultaneous elements at work in the virtual 3d model from which the animation projection was taken from.
Brief Bio
In 2015, David completed a practice-led PhD at the School of Art, Faculty of VCA&MCM, (The University of Melbourne), for which he had been awarded an Australian Postgraduate Award.
David has also worked collaboratively on occasion with Melbourne based composer, Andrew Blackburn & Cologne based painter Michael Jaeger. David has had artist residencies at the VCA and RMIT University (both in Melbourne), two at AtelierFrankfurt in Frankfurt Am Main, and was an invited artist on the research project, The Fine Art Print and Computer at the Camberwell College of Art, London (1997).
Since 1995, David has also lectured widely at institutions in Melbourne such as: RMIT University, VCA, Monash University and Victoria University of Technology.