In Volle au Fond, Melbourne based artist Yvette Coppersmith incorporates multiple mediums—tapestry, painting, jewellery, film and poetry—to reimagine the myth of Circe, a magical female being brought to life in Homer’s classical text, The Odyssey.

Loaded with rich layers of meaning drawn from Greek myths and silent films, Volle au Fond also takes inspiration from Madeline Miller’s 2018 book, Circe. In addition to a series of portraits of herself as Circe, Coppersmith has involved several collaborators to help reimagine the ancient heroine from a modern perspective. Female agency and independence are key themes throughout the show, and Coppersmith explains it is her most collaborative body of work to date.

“I worked with the Australian Tapestry Workshop, and they made a tapestry (woven by Tim Gresham) based one of my paintings. I also worked with filmmaker Cara Mand to create a Super8 film featuring Circe on her island, and jewellery designer Nadine Treister to produce bespoke brass pendants. Writer Hinde Burstin has also contributed Weave of Life, a poem written in both English and Yiddish that viewers can access via QR code.”

In Volle au Fond (which means “flight to the bottom” in improper French), it is the Super8 film that provides the visual background to Coppersmith’s reimagining of Circe. Possessing a grainy quality reminiscent of early silent films, the film follows Circe on the island of Aeaea, playfully interacting with Odysseus and his shipwrecked crew. The vibe is serene and tranquil with a dash of cheeky humour, before dancing, romance and physical transformations ensue. Speaking about the aesthetic of the film, Coppersmith reveals she was inspired by a short film made in 1939 by amateur filmmaker, Ewan Murray-Will. “Ewan befriended performers from the Ballet Russes when they were touring Australia. He had a beach house, so they’d go down to Bungan Beach, and he would take his camera and shoot these beautiful, slow motion silent films of the dancers going through their choreography, but also in a way playing and making up little dances.”

With the film setting up the story of Circe, Coppersmith has drawn visuals directly from the film to create a series of complimentary paintings. Once again using the portrait style she is known for (Coppersmith won the Archibald Prize in 2018), the Volle au Fond paintings possess a dreamy fuzziness, as though they are viewed through a soft lens. Here a solitary and self-assured Circe is depicted languidly drifting down sandy pathways to gaze out at the horizon from the ocean’s edge. The dream-like effect is heightened by Coppersmith’s use of sand from the beach film set, mixed into her paint to create gauzy texture and warmth. She cites the paintings of French artist Pierre Puvis de Chavannes as a key influence. “Works like Young Girls by the Seaside, 1879, recall Arcadian landscapes with figures that are perhaps mythological in some sense, just very calm, serene and idyllic.”

Hanging from the base of each painting are pairs of small brass pendants, created by Treister. Finely crafted to resemble shells and amphora, Treister’s objects are embellished with dewy moonstone and possess a heavy patina, like lost ancient treasures plucked from the sand. “They are wearable like talismans, based on objects connected to Circe’s spell making and her potions,” Coppersmith says. “The moonstone also picks up the subtle colour of the ocean blues in the paintings.” Similarly, the tapestry woven by Gresham hangs from a tree branch cast in bronze and evokes the tapestries the mythical Circe would weave on her giant loom.

For Coppersmith, Circe speaks deeply of the experience of being an artist and feeling as though you are on your own island. Circe is mostly alone yet not lonely; she remains confident and resilient on her path. As Coppersmith concludes, “Volle au Fond takes back the history of Homer’s Circe by positioning her in my realm and creating a character that is perfect for me. I think fundamentally what I wanted to create was a space that would feel like you’re being transported into a world that may or may not exist, and the Circe myth provided a framework where I could flesh out certain aspects and bring them together in one show.”

Volle au Fond
Yvette Coppersmith
Sullivan+Strumpf, Melbourne
Until 25 October