Exhibition Floor Talks: Catherine Woolley, Sammy Hawker & Yvonne Miles

Celebrate the Hervey Bay Whale Festival and the launch of three new exhibitions at Hervey Bay Regional Gallery with a morning of talks facilitated by visiting curator Catherine Woolley, artist Sammy Hawker, and marine biologist and environmental consultant Yvonne Miles.

Matters of Time: Contemporary Metal Practices brings together Australian artists and designers who explore the evolving role of metal in contemporary practice and its relationship with time. Curated by Catherine Woolley and toured by UNSW Galleries, the exhibition encompasses sculpture, furniture, drawing, jewellery, and installation. Join Catherine for a guided tour of the exhibition to learn about artists who are bridging traditional smithing techniques and contemporary metalworking approaches.

To mark the launch of Canberra-based artist Sammy Hawker’s exhibition Sound-Forms: Whale Song hear from the artist about her practice and her development of a ‘cymatic instrument’ that gives visual form to whale songs—bringing art and science into poetic dialogue.

Following Sammy’s floor talk hear from Yvonne Miles, a marine biologist with a particular interest in marine mammal acoustics. Yvonne will share her work that combines field observation, acoustic technology and education to explore the largely unseen—and unheard—world beneath the ocean surface.

Following Yvonne’s talk, see a live demonstration of Sammy Hawker’s ‘cymatic instrument’ in the gallery.

Schedule:
10:30am - 11:15am: Matters of Time with Catherine Woolley
11:30am - 12:00pm: Sound Forms with Sammy Hawker
12:00pm - 12:45pm: Yvonne Miles on Whale Acoustics followed by Q&A for Yvonne and Sammy
12:45pm - 1:00pm: Cymatic Instrument demonstration with Sammy Hawker.

From 10:00am: Morning Tea - Meet the Regional Spotlight artists

Speaker Biographies:
Catherine Woolley
Catherine Woolley (Warrang/Sydney, lives in Warrang/Sydney) is a curator and programs producer based on Bidjigal and Gadigal Country, Sydney. She has a decade of experience working across curatorial projects, community engagement programs, and education initiatives in the arts and culture sector. She is currently the Curatorial & Public Engagement Officer at UNSW Galleries where she works with leading Australian and international practitioners, curators, writers and cultural thinkers to develop exhibitions and public programs.

Catherine has curated the recent exhibitions Matters of Time: Contemporary Metal Practices (touring 2025–27); Lisa Sammut: How the earth will approach you (2024); and Pliable Planes: Expanded Textiles & Fibre Practices (touring 2022–24, co-curated with Karen Hall).

Sammy Hawker
Sammy Hawker is a visual artist working predominantly in Canberra ACT (Ngun(n)awal/Ngambri Country). Sammy’s practice explores how resonances of memory and knowledge are inscribed in materials and bodies, the potential of inter-species/inter-dimensional dialogue and how processes of reciprocity and ritual reveal presence.

Sammy’s works form a vast and ongoing archive, documenting sites and moments of exchange. Sammy is a multi-award winning artist who is recognised internationally for her experimental approach to practice. She has exhibited widely at public institutions across Australia.

Yvonne Miles
Yvonne Miles is a marine biologist and environmental consultant with more than 20 years’ experience across marine fauna conservation, marine mammal observation, passive acoustic monitoring, applied research, offshore environmental mitigation, expedition interpretation and professional training.

With a particular interest in marine mammal acoustics, Yvonne has worked with passive acoustic monitoring and underwater sound to detect, record and better understand whales and other marine mammals. Her work combines field observation, acoustic technology and education to explore the largely unseen—and unheard—world beneath the ocean surface.

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Images: 1. Catherine Woolley, Curator. Photographer: Jessica Wyld 2. Sammy Hawker, Artist. Image courtesy of the Tweed Regional Gallery & Margaret Olley Art Centre. Photographer Aaron Chap 3.Yvonne Miles, Marine Biologist. Image courtesy of Women of Ocean Science.