A/pART Project

Project documentation & concept development.

2025 - ongoing

Miso blessing, Feb 2026

Found images sent by Kelly, March 2026

Keeping my hands busy during Masters degree lectures, March 2026

First Exchanges

In February 2026 the first found image postal exchanges were sent out to friends. Officially blessed for safe travels across the streets and oceans by Miso, these packs were sent to the following locations:

Oslo (Norway)
Seoul (Korea)
Wellington (New Zealand)
London (United Kingdom)
Toronto (Canada)
Ipswich (Qld, Australia)
Annerley (Qld, Australia)
Salisbury (Qld, Australia)
Osaka (Japan)
Kyogle (NSW, Australia)
Castlemaine (Vic, Australia)

By March, I had received my first exchange pack of images, send by friend and collaborator, Kelly. Her found image selections included pages and illustrations from old books and magazines. Hesitant to cut, tear or splice them until I had a plan, I instead used repetition of one of the images to get started.

“Hi Sarah,
Here’s a selection of images for you. Some of the images are from an old book called ‘The body’. Hence you’ll see that some of the images are double sided. Feel free to use whichever side takes your fancy. Other images I’ve been carting around for 20-30 years? It’s good to give them away. I look forward to seeing what you do with them! Please take photos. I’m thinking I might take process photos once I get started. You’ve given me enough material to make several pieces, so I might end up with more than one artwork to share. Thanks for including me in this. It’s really inspiring.
x Kel
ps. This reminds me of a panty pyramid scheme I ran many years ago. Remind me to tell you about it.”

Then hand written letter from Kelly included in her selection of found images is transcribed left and pictured above.

As a first pack of images I received, I was struck by how much of Kel was reflected in her handwritten note and image choices. For those that don’t know Kel, let me first say, I’m sorry for you and I hope you get to meet her one day. She is whip smart, outrageously funny, and simultaneously generous and up to no good in the best possible way.

Interestingly Kel’s connection to the arts and science through her career and social networks is clearly evident in the images she sent me. A founding member of feminist circus Vulcana, an academic researching psychology of sound environments and video gaming for human health, and a collector whose home is full of art and objects, her images and note touch on the body, science, the academy and vintage collections.

This first exchange is proving to be what I had hoped for the project, and I am excited to see how it continues to develop.

Connected

The A/pART project grew from a simple idea to stay connected with friends across distance and time. Beginning as simple handmade art books gifted to friends, containing found images to be used as references images and collage materials, the art books contained “rules” on each page, made to be followed or ignored depending on the mood and motivation of the receiver.

Originally gifted to a dear friend temporarily relocating back to her home city in Seoul, Korea, then created for colleagues, these art books were designed to be accessible to anyone. Easy enough for the emerging artist, and open enough to interest the experienced.

During my own period of transition out of a full-time gig teaching in high schools and into a creative practice research degree, I quickly found myself feeling disconnected.

How can I reconnect with friends from my past I had lost contact with?

How can I maintain connections with people around me now?

How can we create and make meaning together despite separation through distance and time?

Is everyone else as bored by social media as I am?

January, 2026.