Soft Cell

Soft Cell marks a softening of material, simplification of line and return to essential forms by Waterson. Vivid recollections and studies borne from a sense of rediscovering a distinctly Australian sense of nature and place are brought to light through this collection. While the Domestic Bliss Exotic Dream Edition of Soft Cell uses everyday materials found in our homes, up close the materials’ colour, fluidity and overlay transport us to another place and suggest different flora, fauna and landscapes. One may see a hint of parrots, waves, jellyfish or the flourish of orchids in the overlapping arabesques. It’s these tactile curves and arabesques that form the essence of things – the soft cells.

A small study of Soft Cell was presented in Waterson’s solo exhibition TRACE held at Pin-up Project Space, as part of the 2012 L’Oréal Melbourne Fashion Festival Cultural Program. The 2014 Ivory Street installation of Soft Cell signals its inaugural presentation in Queensland; realised at a new scale and in a colourful range of materials.

Photography Richard Stride and Christina Waterson