A View from Nowhere presents a collective response to sets and sequences of recently discovered photocopies produced by Sir Sidney Nolan (1917 – 1992), that were made in 1987.
Copy Collective presents a symposium and exhibition in response to these recently unearthed photocopy artworks by Sir Sidney Nolan, one of the 20th century’s most influential modern artists. Following on from Celtic Image (2018), these works are part of the 2nd occasion where the will be artist showcased at the Burren College of Art from March 6th to 28th.
The works presented here, discovered at his former home, represent an experimental and lesser-known aspect of his practice, using a standard office photocopier as a creative tool. Offering a fresh perspective on Nolan’s contribution to British and international art, A View from Nowhere marks the first public display of these photocopies.
The Event Day and Exhibition explores, through the spoken word, sound, digital image technologies and lectures, the re-imagining of this remarkable, but hitherto unknown aspect of his creative works. The Symposium will present a number of engagements in various forms, offering a fresh perspective on Nolan’s overall contribution to British and international art.
This exhibition marks the first public display of these forgotten photocopies. The ‘copies’ were originally made in Nolan’s office and study area and not in his painting or printmaking studio and they are very much a performative act. They have distinct correlations to his work in opera, his own poetry and his fascination for new technology of the time.
Copy Collective is an interdisciplinary research team. It includes artists, curators, and scholars from diverse backgrounds, working with or associated with institutions such as Oxford University, University College London, Royal College of Art, Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, and Tate Britain, with knowledge and skills in art history, archiving, digital mapping, music composition, and exhibition sound design.
The symposium and exhibition not only sheds light on Nolan’s unexplored processes but attempts also situate him within the broader context of British art, where his experimental approach to materials and technology reflects a deeper engagement with the possibilities of modern artistic practice.
This event series is an initiative of The Copy Collective in partnership with the Sidney Nolan Trust and The Burren College of Art with support from the Canterbury Sound Studio.
For further information and event timetable click here.
Prof David Ferry PRE: An internationally exhibiting printmaking and collage artist. Emeritus
Professor of Printmaking and Book Arts at Cardiff, and Hon Doctor of Arts at Solent. Former Pollock-
Krasner Award holder, USA. Trustee of the Sidney Nolan Trust, and President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers in London. Rediscovered the Nolan photocopies in 2022 whilst researching Nolan’s printmaking archive and use of unconventional materials.
Kay Sedki: Syrian born Architect, curator, and lecturer at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.
Founding director of Bettie Blue, and former editor of Interruptions. Sedki was shortlisted for King
Abdullah II Award for Innovation and nominated as a global changemaker at the World Economic Forum, Dead Sea, 2010. He studied architecture at the Jordan University of Science and Technology, the Architectural Association School in London, and the University of Kent.
Katriona Gillespie: Creative producer based in the west of Ireland, specialising in programme development, event planning and Coordination. Previous producer of Nolan’s Celtic Image exhibition at the Burren College of Art in 2018, Impressions Fine Print exhibitions for the Galway International Festival. She is former manager of Galway Print Studio and curator at Luan Gallery.
Gaia Clark Nevola: Oxford scholar and curator at Casa Hoffman, Bogotá. Crankstart-funded intern with experience at Venice Biennale 2022, and the Sidney Nolan Trust 2023-4 and Art Miami 2024. Freelance writer for arts publications.
Conor McGrady: Dean at Burren College of Art. Internationally exhibiting artist and editor of Curated Spaces, Radical History Review (Duke University Press). Published widely on art and politics.
Joe Singleton: Architectural designer focused on archives, with an MA from the Royal College of Art London. Collaborated on TATE Britain’s Women in Revolt! exhibition in 2024. Currently working at the Architectural Association in London.
David Bahanovich: Associate Provost at the internationally renowned Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, USA. Former music director for Merchant Ivory Productions. Contributing sound to an aspect of the exhibition. An internationally renowned cellist.
Bill Hawkes: Performed and recorded with some of the most celebrated musicians in the world, including Radiohead, Robbie Williams, Oasis and Nigel Kennedy. He has also contributed to many film and television soundtracks, such as Gladiator and Silent Witness.
Simon Mundy: Writer, broadcaster, and cultural policy adviser. A leading voice in advocacy for the arts, as well as a mentor on issues of culture and conflict. He has long been involved in the music world, as a commentator, festival director and trustee. As a poet, novelist and biographer more than a score of books have been published. Former Vice Chair of the Sidney Nolan Trust.
Professor Peter Lloyd RE: Peter Lloyd is Dean, School of Arts and Media at the University of Central Lancashire and Professor Emeritus at Solent University Southampton in the UK. Peter maintains his professional practice through exhibitions, publications, papers and conferences, primarily in the area of Fine Art Printmaking.
Jack Dent: Founder of Canterbury-based agency Bryter Digital, is a seasoned professional with a strong background in multimedia and digital industries, shaped by a long career in London’s dynamic agency scene. An accomplished photographer, his work has been both exhibited and published. He has collaborated with notable clients, including artist Jim Moir, and Hornby Hobbies, delivering highquality digital solutions.
The Sidney Nolan Trust is a registered charity, founded by the Australian artist Sir Sidney Nolan in 1985. Nolan is recognised as one of the leading artists of the 20th century, and his Ned Kelly paintings have become iconic.
Today the Trust’s work is inspired by his life-long experimentation, innovation, and passion for creativity, as well as his love for the environment. The Trust cares for an important collection of his artwork, his extensive personal archives, his library, studio, printmaking workshops, as well as his former home Rodd Court, situated on an historic estate and organic farm on the Herefordshire Powys borders.
The Burren College of Art is located in the Burren, a region famous for its natural beauty and unique ecosystem. It is an internationally recognized Irish non-profit college specialising in undergraduate, postgraduate and alternative approaches to fine art education. The college workshops and residency programmes welcome practitioners from all over the world, and the ReSource programmes are designed to educate non-artists in the principles and procedures of creative processes.
Located on the west coast of Ireland in County Clare, The Burren has long been a source of inspiration for, and in many cases, an adoptive home to artists of all genres. Some of those who have been so inspired include W.B. Yeats, one of Ireland’s best known and much-loved poet-dramatists; the acclaimed Irish-Australian painter, Sir Sidney Nolan; Richard Long, the English artist; Seamus Heaney, the renowned contemporary Irish poet, and British Poet Laureate, Sir John Betjeman. All of whom have immortalised the mystical beauty of the Burren in their work. Prof Timothy Emlyn Jones RE, a Welsh Irish artist who was educated at the Royal College of Art and is also the Emeritus Dean of Possibilities at the Burren College of Art, will be included in this exhibition, an invited artist of the Copy Collective.