In June 1792, Napoleon Bonaparte tasked two French astronomers with an ambitious task: to traverse an arc inscribed on the surface of the Earth and determine a new ‘universal’ standard — the metre. Jean-Baptiste-Joseph Delambre and Pierre-François-André Méchain traveled the length of the Meridian arc from Dunkerque to Barcelona in order to extract a singular number drawn from the curvature of the Earth itself – a number that would ultimately define the length of the metre. Exemplifying the French Revolution’s promise of equality, this metric was calculated as one ten-millionth of the distance from the North Pole to the equator – a standard literally drawn from the earth itself; belonging not to France, but to the entire world. Over 220 years later, the metre remains — validating Napoleon’s proclamation that ‘Conquests may come and go, but this work will endure’. Remeasuring space, place and self It is the intention of Sara Morawetz to replicate this journey as a durational action étalon – the French word for ‘standard of measure’. In 2017, Morawetz was awarded the Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship. The $40 000 scholarship has given Morawetz the opportunity to design an extensive itinerary of travel that informed both her artistic research and her practice. The scholarship enabled Morawetz to conduct a program of independent research that included developing two site-specific, durational performances that took her to France, Spain and the United Kingdom. ‘Support from the Scholarship has been pivotal in making étalon happen’ Sara Morawetz Morawetz is an interdisciplinary artist, her work explores the processes that underpin scientific action, examining how these concepts can be leveraged through artistic inquiry. Interested in the ‘Scientific Method’ and its philosophical implications, her practice examines how concepts of observation, experimentation, method and standardisation operate as both scientific and cultural apparatus. The Summer of 2018, Morawetz and a team of female artists are traversing 1 500 km across France and Spain to measure the Earth’s unseen curvature and create a new ‘metre’ derived through physical action. Over 100 days Morawetz will walk the meridian arc from Dunkerque to Barcelona, joined weekly by different partners who will aid in the creation of a new standard. Each step taken will be an act of (re)evaluation and (re)consideration – examining the lived act of measurement and scientific exploration through the female gaze. étalon is conceived as a counter-measure, privileging a feminist perspective distinctly lacking within the historical narrative of science. This new ‘metre-étalon’ will be formed by a collective of voices – brought together to expand upon existent forms of knowledge and to focus on a mode of production. This new standard is intended as something more than a fixed and immutable construct — it is to be a shared phenomenological encounter; an assemblage of time passed and distance travelled; a measuring of self against the limits of our domain. This is an edited excerpt from Sara Morawetz’s website Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship The Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship gives one emerging Australian artist or Australian art history student the extraordinary opportunity to develop their practice or research through an itinerary of national or overseas travel for the further development of art practice or research that will make a contribution to an understanding of Australian art. The Scholarship is funded through the Estate of Shirley Lahey (1925 – 2011), the niece of Vida Lahey, whose specific bequest made this scholarship possible. A great admirer of Vida Lahey’s artistic and social work, she honours not only the woman and her achievements but also the significance of travel in her life and art.

The inaugural recipient of the $40,000 Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship has been announced as Melbourne-based curator, artist and writer Matthew Perkins. The scholarship, established by QAGOMA late last year in honour of pre-eminent Australian painter Vida Lahey (1882-1968), was made possible through the generous bequest of Shirley Lahey, the artist’s niece. The 2015 scholarship will see Perkins undertake extensive travel throughout the country, visiting important archives and collections to research the history of video art in Australia. Perkins’ research would document this important history through interviews with artists, curators and collectors of moving image works, and would fill an evident gap in knowledge of the medium. Generously funded through the Estate of Shirley Lahey, the scholarship awards $40,000 for Perkins to travel within Australia to complete his valuable research project exploring the history of video art in this country, and also overseas to share this research internationally. A recent surge of interest in video as a medium has led to the urgent need to research and understand this area of art history, specifically the history of the practice in Australia over the last 50 years. In its inaugural year, the scholarship attracted a strong field of applicants including both artists and researchers. The scholarship offers an emerging Australian artist or art history student the extraordinary opportunity to develop their practice or research through an itinerary of national or overseas travel. ‘This scholarship will have an amazing effect on my research. It will allow me to interview pioneering video artists while excavating archives around Australia. The scholarship, in fact, provides the foundation from which my research can grow into a new book and exhibition on Australian video art. This is of vital importance because most people know very little about the history of Australian video art,’ said Perkins. Melbourne-based Perkins has worked as an independent curator in Melbourne, Brisbane and Tasmania since 2006. He has authored numerous scholarly publications including Video Void: Australian Video Art 1970–2010, and multiple catalogue essays. He holds a Master of Fine Arts from Monash University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours), University of Tasmania and is currently completing his PhD at Swinburne University. Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship The Scholarship is funded through the Estate of Shirley Lahey (1925 – 2011), the niece of Vida Lahey, whose specific bequest made this scholarship possible. A great admirer of Vida Lahey’s artistic and social work, she honours not only the woman and her achievements but also the significance of travel in her life and art. The Vida Lahey Memorial Travelling Scholarship gives one emerging Australian artist or Australian art history student the extraordinary opportunity to develop their practice or research through an itinerary of national or overseas travel. The scholarship offers a generous $40 000 towards a travel budget that ensures the further development of art practice or research that will make a contribution to an understanding of Australian art.

The Gallery is pleased to announce Svenja Kratz as the recipient of the 2012 Queensland New Media Scholarship. I am amazed and delighted to be the recipient of the 2012 Queensland New Media Scholarship. I have been working across contemporary art and cell and tissue culture for the past few years. This grant will enable me to continue working within ArtScience by providing access to high end scientific facilities, equipment and expert training after I graduate from Queensland University of Technology (QUT) early next year. The scholarship will be used to fund a five month ArtScience residency at the Art and Genomics Centre in Leidein, The Netherlands where I plan to extend my genetic engineering skills and develop interactive biospheres and computational feedback prototypes for the display of genetically modified organisms in a gallery context. The scholarship will also allow me to tour Europe and visit a variety of new media and ArtScience galleries and institutes to provide inspiration and enhance my understanding of the field, as well as promote my practice and make new international contacts. Awesome! I can’t wait! Thank you.

With only days to go before the close of entries to the Queensland New Media Scholarship — excitement is starting to build around the office as the last assortment of applications come in. The prize is a substantial $25 000 towards professional development offered to a Queensland based emerging artist working in new media — the kind of opportunity that could launch an area of research, new body of work, or a whole career. 2010 Scholarship winner Claire Robertson recently told the Gallery that the “Award provided me with the incredible opportunity to study and live in New York, completing a portion of my Masters of Fine Arts degree at the prestigious Parsons New School of Design. At Parsons I have had the opportunity to study under world renowned artists in my field and collaborate with other emerging artists from around the world — and I will continue these projects when I return to Australia.” The biennial award program comprises the National New Media Art Award and exhibition of shortlisted artists; as well as the Queensland New Media Scholarship for an emerging Queensland-based artist. The Award and exhibition showcase the work of leading Australian new media artists and the award-winning work by George Poonkhin Khut is acquired for the Queensland Art Gallery Collection. Making an application is simple and easy. If you or someone you know is eligible to enter there is still time to think big and make a pitch to our selection committee: Suhanya Raffel, Acting Director, Queensland Art Gallery|Gallery of Modern Art; Amy Barrett Lennard, Director, Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts; and leading Australian new media artist Daniel Crooks. Read the background information, and download the form. Applications close this Friday 14 September 2012, so get busy and it could be you sending QAGOMA the postcards next year!