Order vs. humanity in Caroline Springs

Artist Britt Salt (Janelle Low).

Eddie Russell

Artist Britt Salt loves that her latest exhibition has found its home in the “community hub thoroughfare” that is the CS Gallery.

She said seeing kids, adults and staff interact with Spatial Murmuration, which is now available to view at the Caroline Springs Library, is awesome.

Viewers can enjoy five tapestries and eight drawings of Salt’s, who spent the last four years on the display.

Salt said the pieces, a variety of large scale public artwork and small intricate ink drawings, are often compared to ‘op art’ – the use of black and white geometrical shapes to create images of optical illusions.

“Across all the work there’s a bit of a trick of the eye happening… people say it looks like [prominent op art trailblazer] Bridget Riley,” she said.

“People say at first glance it looks computer generated but I have to say it’s all by hand.”

However, Salt said her work differs from this style because of her fascination with order.

“Unlike modernism and other historical, 60s based art movements… I tend to use geometry and architecture as foundations to explore that,” she said.

However, Salt loves that human nature triumphs over order – something that is evident in both the process and end result.

“The fact these are by hand and take long stretches of time to make means you inevitably get these slippages or glitches were you see the human and the hand behind the process,” she said.

“I don’t call them mistakes because I see them as positive things – I really relish them.”

Spatial Murmurations is available in the CS Gallery until October 14.