Women in Design

Curated by Michelle Boyde, Women in Design is back for its 5th iteration of this popular weekend event. This year, Jane will be joining as a speaker and a panelist.

Ceremoniously opening the weekend will be Melbourne-based ceramic artists Fluff Corp (Jia Jia Chen and Claire Lehmann) with ‘But First We Eat’ an experiential, clay-baked dinner of locally grown and wild-caught fare. When dinner is done, the table installation will form part of a 4-week exhibition that will include bio-plastic artworks by Melbourne artist and designer, Jessie French. 

Pottery to Prevent Extinction

Excerpt from ABC Radio Hobart site:

Ceramics last a long time.

A really, really long time.

The oldest pottery found is from 28,000 BCE, so when Tasmanian ceramicist Jane Bamford crafts habitat for endangered creatures, it’s not intended to be temporary.

With the guidance of scientists, Jane has made 5500 porcelain sea squirts (essential for spotted handfish breeding but under threat from invasive sea stars), designed award-winning little penguin ‘nesting modules’, and now she’s turned her clay to another animal clinging to survival: the stick-nest rat.

Jane Bamford and Dr Kath Tuft, Chief Executive of Arid Recovery will take you through the extraordinary communal homes the rats build – wait ‘til you hear what they use for glue - and how the work of one potter could help them keep extinction at bay.

And if you listen to the end, you’ll hear when Australian native rats give each other flowers.

Blue Water Summit 2022

Jane was invited to speak at the 2022 Blue Water Summit,, on the ‘Citizen Science to the Rescue’ panel.

The Blue Water Summit is designed to encourage our global family to think broadly about the ongoing effects on our oceans of population and climate change, and how changes within the Southern Ocean have far reaching impacts worldwide.

Listen to Jane at around 6hrs 24mins in the video below.

Citizen Science to the Rescue

The oceans cover over twice that of land on earth and are no way as accessible. And yet for something so vast, our base knowledge is poor, and we are not schooled in Ocean Literacy.  Yet citizen science is on the raise, recruiting thousands of researchers armed with passion and social media, to collaborate with stakeholders and to support new answers to old questions.

Greater Stick Nest Rat mission features on Channel 7

The work of Dr Kath Tuft and team at Arid Recovery (and associated program at Adelaide Zoo & Monarto) was recently featured in the news on Channel 7 in Adelaide.

So many dedicated people are working to support this critically endangered species that once thrived in the Arid Zone.

Learn more about this conservation project and the astonishing ‘stickies’ who weave complex stick nests with multiple nest chambers, at Arid Recovery.

Click here to read more about Janes efforts to protect the Greater Nest Stick Rat.

Melbourne Design Fair: PRESENT

Jane Bamford’s work will be showcased by Design Tasmania at the Melbourne Design Fair from the 16th to the 20th of March 2022.

From the catalogue:

The Melbourne Design Fair showcase has been developed by Tasmanian-based freelance designer and curator Michelle Boyde and presents a range of naturally resourceful Tasmanian designer- makers whose practice embodies a living relationship with their craft and our island’s beautiful materials.

“In considering Melbourne Design Week’s theme this year of ‘making good’ - there’s a sense that these designers see the local materials they work with as innately good before it’s taken into their hands to be transformed. People who buy their work become custodians of this ‘goodness’ – inviting the work to be part of their spaces and lives, respecting its form and function, hopefully entering into a contract to give them long lives.” - Michelle Boyde, Curator.

Derwent River Ascidian Bottles by Jane Bamford | Photo credit: Peter Whyte

Jane Bamford features in summer edition of 'The Monthly'

A huge thank-you to Keely Jobe for featuring my work in the summer edition of ‘The Monthly’.

This is a really insightful and engaging article that highlights the importance of compassion for the natural world and it’s inhabitants.

If you have an active subscription to ‘The Monthly’, you can have a read here.

Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Modules - Photo Credit: Peter Whyte

Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Modules - Photo Credit: Peter Whyte

Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Module (2021) Stoneware

This is the module which has been chosen by a nesting pair of little penguins, only a few weeks after installation at a threatened colony on Kangaroo island. After over 18 months learning, making and collaborating both in South Australia and Tasmania to create ceramic nesting modules for little penguins is is very lovely to see that this is the first nest that has been chosen as nesting habitat. Huge thanks to my collaborators Sarah-Lena Reinhold, Dr Diane Colombelli-Negrel for their work in permitting and installation into colony with support form Kate Welz from the KI Wildlife Network and so many other volunteers on the island. This module was 'gifted into habitat' by a generous philanthropist and it is sponsored by the Jam Factory Craft ad Design Centre, Adelaide.

Thank you for the invitation to return to Kangaroo Island to speak about this project along with Diane and Sarah-Lena at the KI Widlife Carnival. The highlight of this trip was to spend time in the colony installing a fourth module (gifted into habitat), instaling ibuttons and motion sensor cameras. It was a privilege to be with these two scientists in the field. Both these activities were made possible and supported by Artsbridge, Arts Tasmania, for which I am so grateful. It is exciting to have this project move into this 'science phase' including data collection on nesting uptake and use in nesting which will inform any further work.

Click here to visit our instagram page for more information!

Instagram: janebamford_ceramics Photo Peter Whyte

Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Module exhibited @ the Kingborough Community Hub

Join us at the Kingborough Community Hub between 28th – 31st October and an evening of talks by some of little penguin experts and scientists on Saturday 30th October at the Kingston Hub.

Thanks to all the support from little penguin experts and researchers who spoke to artists about the needs of, and pressures on little penguins in the Derwent Estuary. I am heading up to the Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Module Project- produce beautiful ceramic artificial nests for Little Penguins in the Derwent estuary. The art work created by nine artists will be exhibited at the Kingborough Community Hub and all the exhibited nest modules will be offered for sale as a ‘gift into habitat’ for Little Penguins in the Derwent. Before putting them to use, researches will install temperature loggers inside the nests to ensure that conditions inside are ideal for Little Penguins.

Jane Bamford, the Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Module Project.

Jane Bamford, the Ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Module Project.

Jane Bamford at Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival's 'In Conversation' session

Thank you for the invitation to join you at the Kangaroo Island wildlife carnival on Sunday 3 October 2021. It was such a privilege to be there. It was amazing meeting many of the people who have supported and assisted the ceramic little penguin nesting module project.

I have created three ceramic Little Penguin Nesting Modules (one live at the Carnival) which will be donated after the event to support the declining population of Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) including those at Emu Bay, Kangaroo Island.

The kids can even have a go at creating their own mini nesting module.

Jane Bamford-at the Kangaroo Island wildlife carnival

Jane Bamford-at the Kangaroo Island wildlife carnival

Jane Bamford - Greater stick nest rat - Arid Recovery

First section of a 7 part modulated burrow system prototype for the critically endangered greater stick nest rat, Arid Recovery, Roxby Downs 2021 with generous support from Arts Tasmania.

Click here to enjoy our work art of Arid Recovery !

Instagram : Janebamford_ceramics-story-highlight.

Instagram : Janebamford_ceramics-story-highlight.

Learning about our little penguins at KI wildlife carnival 2021

Look at this awesome team of fabulous women. I am so excited and looking forward to seeing you soon at the KI wildlife carnival 2021.

So much gratitude for your work in installing my 3 nesting modules into little penguin habitat at Emu Bay. Beautiful camouflaged with vegetation and with temperature trackers installed to collect data to inform any further work.

Congratulations to the three philanthropist who purchased these nests and ‘gifted them into habitat’ . We are so grateful.

To find out more about this project make sure to attend the KI Wildlife Carnival on Oct. 3 at Duck Lagoon.

You can click here to find out more about the carnival and get your tickers.

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network's Katie Welz (centre) with Dr. Diane Colombelli-Negrel from Flinders Uni and PhD student Sarah-Lena Reinhold from Adelaide Uni installing a clay little penguin nesting module at Emu Bay last week. Photo supplied

Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network's Katie Welz (centre) with Dr. Diane Colombelli-Negrel from Flinders Uni and PhD student Sarah-Lena Reinhold from Adelaide Uni installing a clay little penguin nesting module at Emu Bay last week. Photo supplied

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival's ‘In Conversation’ session

It was great to hear these fabulous scientists talk about all their work with little penguins on Sunday 3 October.

Dr Diane Colombelli-Negrel & Sarah-Lena Reinhold, two highly respected scientists in the field of Little Penguins were special guest speakers who shared the inspiration & vision of strong women in science. their passion & their work protecting our Little Penguins & their habitat at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival's ‘In Conversation’ sessions.

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival

The Kangaroo Island Wildlife Carnival

Spawning behaviour of spotted handfish

It’s coming up to spawning season for the ‘spotties’. If you would like to know more about spotted handfish spawning behavior meet Alex Hormann and check out his work below.

Click here for more information on all the handfish.

Adult spotted handfish, Images courtesy of Alex Hormann

Adult spotted handfish, Images courtesy of Alex Hormann

When Art and Nature Come Together - The Junction

We have so many species that are either critically endangered, thinning or at risk. I believe artists are uniquely placed to transform conversation between species extinction and translate this into work.

The Nesting Module is currently being exhibited at “Crafted Technology“ at the Jam Factory gallery in Adelaide, with two modules for sale. The module is put into the gallery with the idea the community might be able to buy it, not take it home, but actually gift into research and into Little colonies to support this project. I’m interested in the way this gallery experience can give the community an opportunity to buy work that will go directly into the habitat.

Click here for more information on our Nesting Module project!

Image: Peter Whyte

Image: Peter Whyte

ABC Radio Hobart Handball: Jane Bamford

Clare Glade-Wright, handballed ABC Radio Hobart onto my work, and my mission to save vulnerable species by combining art and science to help the Spotted Handfish here in Hobart and the Fairy Penguins in South Australia. Thank you Clare.

It was a pleasure to talk with ABC Radio Hobart on Sundays with Joel Rheinberger about what I am trying to do in educating the public and providing habitats for Fairy Penguins and growing the Spotted Handfish population on the River Derwent.

I handballed ABC Radio Hobart to my good friend and collaborator Benita Vincent, known to some as Benny Marine, because she spends so much time under water. Listen to Benita’s interview here.

ABC Radio Hobart Interview - Jane Bamford saving penguins from overheating

ABC Radio Hobart invited me into the ‘On Your Afternoon with Christopher Lawrence’ show to discuss my work at the Crafted Technology Exhibition and the South Australian, Emu Bay, little penguin module site.

We also discuss the upcoming project for little penguins in the Derwent Estuary.

To hear the interview click here

or listen on the media player below.

Photo credit: Peter Whyte

Photo credit: Peter Whyte

The Wire interview - Jane Bamford - Nesting module gives hope to little penguins on Kangaroo Island

The Wire invited Dr Diane Collombelli-Negrel and I to discuss our work for Emu Bay, little penguin colony.

The little penguins whose scientific name Eudyptula minor are a small flightless bird are found along the Southern Australian coastline.

Jane’swork is currently exhibiting at Crafted Technology at the Jam Factory. A third module will be made onsite by artist Jane Bamford in October at the Kangaroo Island Wildlife Network Carnival.

To hear the interview click here

or listen on the media player below.

Jane Bamford. Ceramich Little Penguin Nesting Module 2021 Image: Peter Whyte

Jane Bamford. Ceramich Little Penguin Nesting Module 2021 Image: Peter Whyte