Bundanon

Lives / works: Bruny Island,  lunawuni – Nuenonne country, lutruwita, Tasmania.

Working from her studio on Bruny Island, Tasmania, Sophie creates intricate and tactile works from silver; creating objects and wearable tokens that speak to the value of our environment and our connection to place.  

Recently Sophie has been focusing on the plant life around her.  Working closely from plants and botanical drawings she finds it a powerful learning experience to find ways of morphing inert material into new forms. The slow and detailed process of sawing, hammering, bending, soldering and sanding allows her to learn about the intricate details of the plant, consider its fragility and also wonder at its fortitude. 

In 2021 Sophie and collaborator Sarah Rayner saw the fruition of their initial collaboration for the Australian Ceramics Association, Ceramix, at Manly Art Gallery & Museum. This suite of 42 works went on to win the Toowoomba Contemporary Wearables Award and was subsequently acquired by the Toowoomba Regional Art Gallery. 

Sophie is represented by Gallery Sally Dan-Cuthbert, Sydney. 

Sophie Carnell and Sarah Rayner are the recipients of the 2021 Dobell Prize.

In residence at Bundanon

Sophie Carnell & Sarah Rayner will be continuing their collaboration, exploring methods of integrating previous works and investigating methods of connection, articulation and intervention.  

Having worked together -yet apart- for two years, this residency will give them the opportunity to experiment during the malleable stages of the making process: researching and testing ideas and observing how their chosen materials of porcelain and silver interact with one another.  

  By simultaneously exploring the natural micro-environment of Bundanon, documenting and realising different responses to plant species immediately and spontaneously, they hope to gain a better understanding of how our work can interact physically, conceptually and aesthetically.