The only way out is through

<p dir="ltr">Background </p><p dir="ltr">The only way out is through (2024) is positioned within contemporary material and process-based art practices that critically engage with embodiment, transformation, and the tensions between natural and constructed environments. Drawing on discourse from material culture studies, craft theory, and emergent technologies in art, the exhibition contributes to ongoing explorations of how handcrafted and digitally mediated processes intersect to express complex notions of uncertainty and resilience. Influenced by scholars and practitioners investigating the agency of materials and the reconfiguration of natural imagery, the work addresses gaps in articulating nature as both inherently organic and culturally constructed through artistic materiality. </p><p dir="ltr">Contribution </p><p dir="ltr">Produced solely by the artist’s hand, The only way out is through presents a multifaceted practice integrating sand-cast aluminium letters derived from digitally designed handwriting fonts, 3D printed and cast by the artist; cast glass forms; tapestry and digital hand weaving; and curated photographic image collections spanning years of observation. These diverse media and techniques converge to form intimate collections that explore nature’s dual status as natural and constructed. The exhibition’s research-driven processes foreground the interplay between traditional craft, digital fabrication, and photographic reimagining, expanding knowledge on the material negotiation of conceptual themes through tactility and process. This body of work advances understanding of how handmade and technological practices can collaboratively navigate shifting landscapes of meaning and experience. </p><p dir="ltr">Significance </p><p dir="ltr">Supported by the highly competitive 2023 Queensland Arts Showcase Program (QASP) from Arts Queensland, The only way out is through embodies a rigorous practice-led research methodology that situates contemporary craft and digital fabrication within critical environmental and material discourses. The artist’s sole authorship and diverse media use demonstrate technical proficiency and conceptual coherence, reinforcing the significance of integrated material approaches in contemporary art. The exhibition contributes to debates on the intersection of natural and constructed representations of environment, offering nuanced insights relevant to scholars and practitioners in material culture, environmental art, and craft studies. Its 2024 presentation advances conversations about resilience, transformation, and the negotiation of uncertainty through embodied, multisensory artistic processes.</p>