Michel Tuffery: Transforma

Transforma was a seven week residency by New Zealand-based artist Michel Tuffery. Located in Airds in South Western Sydney, Transforma had four main components: the retrieval of cars dumped in the Woolwash area of the Upper Georges River, an outdoor sculpture studio located in the car park of Airds Bradbury Central, ongoing workshops with young people, and a series of public programs culminating in a major public event. This C3West project, commissioned by Campbelltown Arts Centre (on behalf of Campbelltown City Council) and MCA Australia, aimed to raise local awareness of the links between river health and behaviours such as arson, dumping and littering, and was the culmination of three extended residencies by Tuffery in the area. A Transforma Party was held on 12 April 2014 to celebrate the launch of Tuffery's sculpture, Buru Transforma Kangaroo - a massive bust of a kangaroo made from the bodies of cars abandoned then salvaged from the Upper Georges River. The evening featured results of Tuffery's workshops with local youth, including live performances, video projections, and woodblock prints. This full colour catalogue includes documentation of the project and party, and essays by Emma Bugden, Anne Loxley, Peter Johnson and Megan Monte.