Exhibition Insight... Fortified
Frederick Stevenson winemaker Steve Crawford in the Barossa Valley. Photography: Jack Fenby.
Fortified
A robust blending of South Australian talent, Fortified combines the new guard of JamFactory artists and designers with the next generation of producers evolving from and challenging the Barossa Valley’s long-held identity. Together they strengthen the ties between the city and the rolling hills to produce works that distil the character, artistry and generosity of the Barossa region.
Barossa Revolution
The title Fortified conjures ideas of strength, rejuvenation and enhancement through the addition of one or more ingredients. Equally, the word lends its name to a style of wine of which Seppeltsfield is famous for. Indeed the Barossa, arguably Australia’s most famous wine region, has for much of its history focussed on fortified styles along with big, rich, high-alcohol Shiraz. Yet change and renewal are a natural part of life, and as with many wine regions across the world, a new generation of winemaker is emerging to challenge the status quo.
Winemakers like David Geyer and Koen Janssens (Yetti & the Kokonut), Steve Crawford (Frederick Stevenson) and Charlie Black (The Mysterious Mr Black) are breaking away from the notion of what the Barossa was and are thinking about what it could be. They favour less familiar varieties, with minimal intervention, natural ferments and a lower alcohol content. While maintaining an inherent love and respect for the Barossa’s traditions and culture, they represent a new generation of producers who are responding to the ever-changing agricultural, social and cultural landscape that is informing consumer tastes. A more health conscious generation has made people think more about lowering their alcohol consumption. Fulfilling our desire for immediate gratification, these winemakers are producing wines that are ready to drink now, instead of needing to be cellared for 10+ years. At the same time distillers like Jon and Nicole Durdin of Seppeltsfield Road Distillers have brought the rising popularity of gin to the Barossa, putting a regional spin on their award-winning House Gin with Premium Barossa Shiraz grapes. The rising awareness of issues around animal agriculture has led to Barossa producers like Cherie Hausler of All The Things revolutionising plant-based alternatives to foods like cheese and ice cream. Likewise, siblings Richard and Ellen Chatterton are leading the way for change in the farming industry at Riverside Farm where they employ regenerative farming techniques that respect the animals, the soil, and the environment.
The strong, authentic food culture that underpins the Barossa lifestyle is unwavering. Barossa producers remain a close-knit community who support one another by buying locally. Fleur Social are committed to telling Barossa’s food story with Mehl Sourdough and Riverside Farm eggs on their menu. Businesses like Mehl and Riverside, as well as All The Things and Mirror Mirror Patisserie can be found at the Barossa Farmers Market each Saturday where restaurants like Casa Carboni, El Estanco and Fino find their inspiration.
Fortified showcases the craftsmanship and high quality products that both Barossa Valley and JamFactory artisans are renowned for while exploring the long-held relationships between food, wine, art and design. With a focus on the next crop of producers and craftspeople, this exhibition is a tribute to the Barossa’s heritage and a celebration of things to come.
Fortified presents the works of 12 recent JamFactory Studio Associates informed by their time spent with a Barossa-based producer. The exhibition design was realised by emerging furniture designer Jordan Leeflang in partnership with craftsman (of wood and wine) Peter Ruchs of Winestains, Williamstown. In essence they represent the thirteenth collaboration between a JamFactory maker and a Barossa producer. The fruits of each collaboration tell very different stories about the Barossa. What is consistent, however, is how these creative partnerships forge new design directions and produce brilliant outcomes.
EXHIBITORS
Sara Sharkey and Ryan Remillard, Fleur Social + Danielle Rickaby
Nuriootpa-based café and florist, Fleur Social has joined forces with Yo-Dan, the studio of glass artist Danielle Rickaby to conceive Blocs Floraux a series of vessels in both black-and-white and in blocks of pastel and neon hues. Using traditional glassblowing techniques, Rickaby was inspired by the colours of the blooms arranged by Fleur Social’s florist and part-owner Sara Sharkey, and by the graphic Arlon Hall designed murals which emblazon its interior and exterior walls.
“Fleur Social is bursting with exciting contemporary vibes,” Rickaby observes. Rickaby’s three-dimensional interpretation of Hall’s bold and striking brushwork encapsulate the dynamic space of Fleur Social. Through her series of vases, some of which feature botanical stoppers made of glass, Rickaby captures the vibrant, youthful energy of the ‘new’ Barossa alongside the familiar feeling of community which the region has long been renowned for.
Danielle Rickaby, Blocs Floraux, 2021. Photography: Michael Haines.
Matteo and Fiona Carboni, Casa Carboni + Angela Giuliani
Italian cooking school and enoteca Casa Carboni, Angaston collaborated with jewellery designer Angela Giuliani to inspire the Avvolgere and Tubuloso sets of earrings and neckpieces. Each resembles the classic pasta shapes and the traditional tools used to create them. Giuliani’s eclectic sensibility echoes throughout each piece, which are named after the Italian words for ‘enwrap’ and ‘tubulous’.
Giuliani and Chef Matteo Carboni have a shared Italian heritage and both were taught to cook by their nonne (grandmothers). This kind of holistic learning inspired Matteo to pass on the skills, techniques, food history and culture of Italian cooking at Casa Carboni. Participating in one of the school’s cooking classes, Giuliani strongly identified with the importance of these Italian food traditions. She reflects how ‘food should not be rushed… it should be fresh, picked seasonally and cooked with respect, time, effort, and love.’
Angela Giuliani, Avvolgere, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist
Sam Smith, Fino Seppeltsfield + Jordan Gower
The collaboration of ceramicist Jordan Gower and Sam Smith, Executive Chef at Fino Seppeltsfield, resulted in a range of miso jars and cups. As well as both sourcing their materials/ingredients locally, the two connected over their mutual appreciation for Japanese culinary culture, extending to object design and regionality.
Gower draws on his family’s connection to the Barossa, the final design for his miso jar is inspired by a 19th century earthenware storage crock, likely made in the Barossa from local clays, and which has belonged to his family for generations. The final installation includes a number of miso jars, including one that has an active fermentation. Smith has created a miso from a perennial pea variety called White Pearl that is farmed on the Yorke Peninsula. This collaboration has also led to a miso-based dish at Fino Seppeltsfield.
To accompany the jars, Gower has made a small collection of unique miso bowls. Both the jars and bowls are protypes for a product range which allows one to ferment and enjoy miso soup at home.
Jordan Gower, Miso Bowl, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
Danielle Barrie, Black Forest, 2021. Photography: Dean Toepfer.
Winni Wong, Mirror Mirror Patisserie + Danielle Barrie
Jewellery and object designer Danielle Barrie worked with Patisserie chef Winni Wong of Mirror Mirror Patisserie to translate Wong’s intricately hand-crafted desserts into four precious metal and gemstone delicacies. Barrie’s carefully matched gemstones extract the essence of each sweet creation – she puts the citrine in citrus, pearls read like dollops of meringue.
Each brooch is made ‘from scratch’ to emulate Wong’s delicate handcrafting techniques. ‘I made a conscious effort not to rely on pre-fabricated materials but to make all of my own materials from recycled offcuts’ Barrie explains. Indeed, there are similarities in the process of each maker. Raw materials/ingredients are gathered, melted, poured into ingots/moulds, rolled, shaped, stamped and pressed to create miniature works of art. Like Wong’s own creations, Barrie’s designs are multi-layered, steeped in whimsy and fantasy and look good enough to eat.
Cherie Hausler, All The Things + Ivana Taylor
Furniture designer Ivana Taylor and plant-based provedore Cherie Hausler of All The Things have collaborated on the wrapped wall sculpture Cove. Using plant matter from Hausler’s Koonunga Hill property, Taylor has hand-dyed its cotton binding to a delicate soft beige. The colour recalls a freshly brewed pot of Hausler’s Scullery Made Barossa Breakfast Tea served with a splash of almond milk. ‘Hanging out with animals and drinking tea is my cure-all for pretty much anything,’ remarks Hausler. The arch-like cove of Taylor’s piece is designed to be a concave shelter, a kind of retreat, inspired by the way Cherie rests in the warm expansive nook of her rescue bull’s neck.
Taylor and Hausler found common ground in their shared commitment to plant-based nutrition, and hand-made and sustainable processes, yet it was a conversation between the two about the way humans relate to food and animals that inspired Cove. This sculpture is an interrogation into the ideas behind ‘Carnism,’ a term coined by social psychologist Melanie Joy, which describes how humans have incongruent attitudes towards different species of animals – from those we protect to those we consume. ‘Rather than a piece of activism,’ states Taylor, ‘this sculpture is a visual and physical anchor that encourages one to pause and contemplate the belief systems underpinning the choices we make, large and small.’
Ivana Taylor, Cove, 2021. Image courtesy of artist.
Steve Crawford, Frederick Stevenson + Dean Toepfer
Principles of Equilibrium is a collaboration between winemaker Steve Crawford and furniture, object and lighting designer Dean Toepfer. Part kinetic mobile, part sculptural metaphor this work seeks to parallel the balancing act of variables in the pursuit of both good winemaking and design. The creative processes of both Crawford and Toepfer result in radiant, honest products that appeal to contemporary tastes.
Crawford creates minimal-intervention, vibrant wines that celebrate the lighter shades of the Barossa region under the pseudonym Frederick Stevenson. Nature throws many challenges at a winemaker: wind, rain, sun — too much or not enough, pests and disease. Crawford must contend with a constantly changing set of conditions, adapting to each one in search of an honest wine that tells a tale of time and place. Principles of Equilibrium represents the natural rhythm between the seasons and the cause-and-effects of each vintage.
Dean Toepfer, Principles of Equilibrium, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
Martin Ritzmann and Rebecca Tucker, Mehl Sourdough + Matt Pearson
Furniture designer Matt Pearson and Tanunda bakers Rebecca Tucker and Martin Ritzmann of Mehl Sourdough both understand grain. For Pearson, who owns and operates MJP Studio, his highly refined timber furniture and objects explore notions of home, identity and belonging. Mehl Sourdough bake a variety of breads using a sourdough culture that has been passed down by many other bakers.
Zusammenkunft (Gathering) is a timber breadboard and breadbox which, like Mehl Sourdough, draws on Ritzmann’s German heritage. Pearson explores the ritualistic nature of bread in German culture, as a staple for most meals, commonly shared amongst family. By way of his exquisite craftsmanship, these pieces are elevated from everyday objects to works of art, revealing Tucker and Ritzmann’s transnational stories of place and identity.
Pearson’s making process was also influenced by the oak barrel staves sourced by Tucker. Adapting barrel-making techniques to craft a form which resembles a whole grain and is designed to preserve a whole loaf of bread. The breadboard uses offcuts from the barrel staves. Oriented to their end grain they resemble the aerated appearance of a slice of sourdough.
Matt Pearson, Zusammenkunft (Gathering), 2021. Image courtesy of artist.
Dave Geyer and Koen Janssens, Yetti & the Kokonut + Alison Smiles
Tanunda-based winemakers Dave Geyer (Yetti) and Koen Janssens (Koko) are Yetti & the Kokonut, a low intervention wine label that produces original and eclectic natural wines from sustainable vineyards across South Australia. They have collaborated with ceramicist Alison Smiles who describes being ‘greeted by a couple of rosy cheeked, if a little tired, faces,’ upon her first visit during vintage 2021. The flushed, good-humoured duo appear as their alter-egos, Yetti & Kokonut across their branding and by Smiles, with exceptional likeness, in her clay sculptures.
During her visit to the wine production area, Smiles witnessed tubs full of gently bubbling crushed grapes in colours of deep purples and gold. The handmade, experimental approach of the two winemakers is not dissimilar to her own, which she captures in a series of laboratory style vessels made with a gritty and robust clay. Smiles, Geyer and Janssens each strive to produce something precious, which Smiles alludes to with a touch of platinum lustre applied throughout.
Alison Smiles, Flasks and Beakers, 2021. Photography: Michael Haines
Charlie Black, The Mysterious Mr Black + Drew Spangenberg
Curious Collection of Rare Drinking Vessels is a series of complex goblets – a collaboration between glass artist Drew Spangenberg and winemaker Charlie Black, The Mysterious Mr Black. The fluted stems of each goblet, formed in black and ivory glass, read like talismans, bewitching the drinker with each sip of ‘Black Magic’. They also evoke the sensations of the wine-making process, from the texture of the wine barrels, to the colours of the contents within–bone, fruit and stem debris. The striking ram’s skull as well as the playing card imagery featured in The Mysterious Mr Black’s wine labels are another source of inspiration for Spangenberg.
The Mysterious Mr Black, which is based in Small Gully, Marananga is a one-man operation, from picking the fruit up until bottling. Black reflects, ‘I approach winemaking with an artistic point of view, I’m never trying to recreate another piece.’ Seasonal variance means that no two vintages are ever the same, similarly the art of glass blowing is changeable.
Each Rare Drinking Vessel, designed to pair with Black’s Curious Collection of wine varieties, is unique.
Drew Spangenberg, A Curious Collection of Rare Drinking Vessels, 2021. Photography: Pippy Mount
Ellen and Richard Chatterton, Riverside Farm + Ashlee Hopkins
Siblings Ellen and Richard Chatterton of Riverside Farm united with ceramicist Ashlee Hopkins to inspire a series of tall, coil thrown forms informed by the majestic river red gums punctuated across the 1000-acre Lyndoch estate. Originally planted in the 1860s for use as timber, these trees have benignly watched over the six generations who have worked on the family farm since it was established in 1848, and may continue to do so for up to 1000 years. Now a mixed farming property primarily producing pastured eggs, garlic and a sheep dairy, Ellen and Richard are dedicated to environmental conservation and regenerative farming.
River red gums are unique to the Australian bush and hold a strong historical, social and cultural connection to its Aboriginal inhabitants. First Nations people like the local Ngadjuri, Peramangk and Kaurna communities would use the bark to make shelters, coolamons and shields. Richard’s partner, Kane van Diermen, is a co-owner of Riverside Farm Pasture-raised Eggs. He is a proud Western Arrernte and Yawarrawarrka man and has worked collaboratively with the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation Australia to employ Indigenous people and generate economic and training benefits from Indigenous-owned land.
Ashlee Hopkins, Eucalyptus Camaldulensis (series), 2021. Photography: the artist.
Alexandra Hirst, Secret Recipe, 2021. Photography: Michael Haines.
Jon and Nicole Durdin, Seppeltsfield Road Distillers + Alexandra Hirst
Glass artist Alexandra Hirst worked alongside Seppeltsfield Road Distillers owners Jon and Nicole Durdin to create Secret Recipe. Described by Hirst as a ‘visual tasting experience,’ this installation of 26 blown and hand-etched glass forms reveals the complex combination of botanical ingredients which make up their House Gin. There are layers of fresh orange and citrus sitting on top of subtle juniper notes, alongside chamomile, cornflower and locally grown lavender, which adds a delicate
depth. Another sensory-selected local ingredient included in this recipe, are the vibrant pink peppercorns which can be found all over the Barossa. Hirst articulates how ‘the bed of pink peppercorns upon which my work sits serves as a reminder of the refined knowledge and skill it takes to distil these stunning raw ingredients into something delicious.’
Set into the side of a Marananga hill and constructed from eight shipping containers, the distillery consists of a 180 litre still from Stuttgart called Christine, named after Nicole’s grandmother. Nicole Durdin is a seventh generation Barossan.
Julian Velasquez and Abby Osborne, El Estanco + George Criollo
El Estanco, owned and operated by Julian Velasquez and Abby Osbourne, is a vibrant, bistro-style restaurant with a South American twist. The establishment inspired George Criollo’s Metáfora, a larger-than-life, visual metaphor realised in reclaimed timber and steel. The cactus is a central component to El Estanco’s branding and identity. Symbolic of endurance and strength, a cactus is able to thrive in new environments and conditions. It is also a cultural signifier of South America, a part of the world which unites both Criollo and Velasquez who share Colombian heritage.
El Estanco operates from an 1890s property in Greenock, which last year underwent spectacular renovations. In Metáfora Criollo refers to the aesthetics, anecdotes and modern-meets-historical character of the property. Many of the materials used in the renovation were reclaimed or repurposed from the original building, similarly Criolo incorporates recycled and repurposed jarrah, spotted gum, pine and steel as an homage to the El Estanco architecture.
George Criollo, Metáfora, 2021. Image courtesy of the artist.
Fortified is currently showing at JamFactory at Seppeltsfield until 10 October 2021