Amanda Grant (Ixia)
Known predominantly for her work on the Blacksmiths' Tree in Strathewen and the Homefront Sculptures in Greensborough War Memorial Park, Amanda has worked for the past decade as a public sculpture designer and Creative Director managing complex art projects. She leads a team of highly skilled artisans including blacksmiths, wood carvers, glass artists, ceramicists and filmmakers in order to realise her designs. Placemaking and celebrating local stories are central to her design process.
Amanda has spoken at the IACD International Community Conference in Glasgow and the International Conference on the Arts in Society in London about her work and her unusual approach to creative collaboration.
Magic, symbols and folklore are subjects she returns to in her personal work, (created under the name of Ixia,) her paintings and sculptures, feature strange animals and furniture, Elizabethan collars and Tarot cards. Amanda's skills encompass sculpture design, placemaking, branding, book design, illustration, art strategy consultancy, creative recovery facilitation, metal fabrication and cheiromancy.
"The work of Ixia takes on a whimsical surrealism. She uses primeval dream material, literature and the natural world as subjects in her compositions. The familiar and modern are subverted by classical antiquity. Exotic birds, both real and imaginary and strange plant life feature prominently. Her sculptural creations also take on a playful and sometimes disquieting feel, drawing the viewer in to her enchanted world with its strange spectacle. She plays with humour, fairy tale and the macabre in equal measure." —Sven Sandrasagra Artist/Designer, Prague
You can visit Amanda's public artwork nearby in Greensborough, St Andrews and Strathewen:-
The Blacksmiths Tree
Peter Avola Pavilion, 160 Chadds Creek Road, Strathewen
The Blacksmiths' Tree stands as a memorial to the events of the 2009 Victorian Bushfires and as a symbol of courage and life beyond the fires. At 10m high and weighing 3 tonne, it is believed to be the largest and most intricate fully forged sculpture in the world, and is regarded as an artwork of State Significance.
The Blacksmiths' Tree is forged predominantly from stainless steel and copper, and carries over 3500 hand-forged metal leaves in its canopy, as well as bronze gumnuts and stainless steel bugs and dragonflies. It was created over five years by hundreds of blacksmiths across 28 countries, including heavy industrial blacksmiths working in Australia. Amanda, as Project Manager, worked closely with Blacksmiths Associations around the world on this project, most significantly with the Australian Blacksmiths Association (Victoria) of which she is a Lifetime Member.
The surrounding reflective space around the Blacksmiths' Tree is defined by indigenous planting and a series of forged sculptures and seating, the design of which is based on grass blades. The sculptural directional signage around the memorial precinct are inspired by drawings by students at Strathewen Primary School.
The best time to visit the Blacksmiths' Tree is on dusk; as night falls the Blacksmiths' Tree is lit from beneath, creating an ethereal aspect in the darkness of the bush.
The documentary film by local filmmaker Andrew Garton: Forged From Fire: The Making of the Blacksmiths' Tree follows the creation of the Blacksmiths' Tree and its impact on the local community. It was a finalist for Best Melbourne Documentary in the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival in 2019
Homefront Sculptures
Greensborough War Memorial Park, Henry Street, Greensborough
Homefront is a series of war memorial figures carved from cypress with forged steel detailing. The designs for these sculptures were based on stories gathered from writing workshops and conversations with local war veterans. Of significance is the Lighthorse sculpture which depicts an Aboriginal mounted soldier and illustrates a Wurundjeri legend of Waa the Crow. This piece was designed in consultation with Wurundjeri Elders.
These sculptures were designed to replace a previous series of sculptures by Leigh Conkie which had fallen into disrepair. Amanda worked closely with Leigh, chainsaw carver Hikaru Kodama and blacksmith Roland Dannenhauer to create this series.
Amanda also worked as Producer on the Mike Wilkins documentary Homefront: A New Kind of War Memorial which was a finalist in the 2019 Melbourne Documentary Film Festival and screened on SBS.
St Andrews Wayfinding Signs
St Andrews Market / St Andrews Church / Wadambuk Community Centre, Caledonia Street, St Andrews
The St Andrews Wayfinding signs are a celebration of the unique character of St Andrews. Using only St Andrews artists to create the signs, the design showcases their work in glass, ceramic and metal. The signs are designed as part of a larger series that will eventually create a walking trail through the township. Experimental techniques in metal surfacing and fusing images onto glass were explored in the creation of these sculptural signs. If you're in St Andrews, peek behind each of the signs to find a puzzle for children.
