Jordana Maisie

Biography

Jordana Maisie is an Australian installation artist working in photography, video, sound, sculpture and interactivity. Her practice interrogates the relationship between technology, physical space and the body. Specifically, Maisie is interested in how screen-based digital technologies (from video to Facebook and i-Phones) continuously shift the way we experience and interact, both with each other, the technology and our physical environment. Seen as a collective, her body of work poses a hypothesis: that these technologies are gradually encouraging a complete disembodiment of experience.

In 2005, after receiving a scholarship the year earlier to study photography at the Glasgow School of Art, Maisie completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts majoring in Photomedia, at Sydney’s College of Fine Arts (CoFA) and graduated with distinction. At this time, intrigued by the capacity of moving image to captivate and convey ideas in real time, Maisie returned to CoFA to partake in a Masters of Digital Media, majoring in video production and sound engineering and graduated with distinction in 2007.

2008 saw Maisie’s first three solo exhibitions at CHALK HORSE & BLACK & BLUE Galleries in Sydney, and INFLIGHT Gallery in Hobart. Her work 'Identity Denied' began touring in an international group show in April 2008 at The Museum of Arts & Crafts in Itami, Japan. In July, Maisie took part in the ‘Underbelly: Public Arts Lab’ residency and festival at CarriageWorks. In October ‘Move me Touch me’ screened in ElectroEtre, as part of the Electrofringe Festival in Newcastle. December 2008 took her to Chuncheon, South Korea to partake in an inter-disciplinary residency as part of the 'Moving Space Project'.

2009 saw the completion of a long distance international collaboration with Australian & German New Media / interdisciplinary artists Nick Mariette and Muse-Me for TRANSIT LOUNGE 09 - part of the TRANSMEDIALE 09: Digital Culture Festival in Berlin, Germany. In March 2009, Maisie took part in a three-month residency at Firstdraft Gallery in Sydney, culminating in a solo exhibition at FIRSTDRAFT at the end of April. May saw Maisie in Korea, where she was commissioned to build 'The Real Thing' for the Chuncheon International Mime Festival. In September 2009, Maisie and European-based dance maker Adam Linder completed a CRITICAL PATH: Research & Development Residency at Io Myers Studio, University of NSW. The collaborative project 'The Body In Future Tense(d)' is a participatory installation focusing the experience on the individual, encouraging them to observe the current sociological shifts caused by the integration of technology into daily life. In 2009 Maisie also took up mentorship with artist and designer of interactive software ISADORA; Mark Coniglio in Berlin Germany.

Currently focusing on producing new work and exhibiting both in Australia and internationally, her work combines installation with live video, sound and interactive software and is a cheeky comment on the hyper-reality of technological experience and its attempt to mimic true sensory experience. Maisie uses technology to embody a space that is then manipulated by the audience’s physical movement and interaction. Her work is a demonstration against the ‘non-space’ that is usually promoted by technology - a space in which bodies are evacuated and disembodied.

Download Jordana Maisie’s CV here.