AFTER HOURS: A VELVET ANT & UNTYING KNOTS IN THE SKY
Join us, After Hours at The Potter Museum of Art.
The two of us will be talking about our commission, Specimen 1963, with Pippa Milne, as part of The Potter Museum of Art’s After Hours: A Velvet Ant & Untying Knots in the Sky on the 21st of May, 2026.Creating Specimen 1963, and the research and problem-solving it entailed was a dream commission, so we are especially looking forward to chatting about this, and fielding any exciting questions, wasp-related or otherwise.
After Hours: A Velvet Ant & Untying Knots in the Sky
Join us for the May edition of After Hours, a new monthly event series inviting you to experience the gallery differently. As the doors stay open late, performances, conversations and creative encounters unfold across the spaces, offering new ways to connect with the ideas, artists and communities around the Potter.
Archie Barry and Aarti Jadu return for the second and final performance of Untying knots in the sky. This intimate sound performance invites us to witness what happens through the steady, insistent act of breathing together.
During the evening you can delve into nature and biodiversity with artists Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison, as they elaborate on their newly commissioned work dedicated to the Velvet Ant or practice your skills of observation and reflection with Slow Down and Draw.
Food and Beverage
Join Residence at the Potter for the launch of their new bar menu with happy hour from 3pm–6pm weekdays. Try any item on the Residence bar menu with a glass of wine or beer for $25.
Bookings
After Hours is a free event, with open access to most activities. Please note that Archie Barry’s performance requires a booking due to limited capacity. There will also be an additional performance during our next After Hours in May.
Schedule
Floor Talk: Gracia Haby & Louise Jennison with Pippa Milne
6pm–6.30pm
Level 2
No bookings required
Gracia Haby and Louise Jennison’s work, newly commissioned for this exhibition, is dedicated to the velvet ants of Australia. A series of suspended folding screens compose a digital collage rooted in the artists’ long-standing practice with natural-history research, paper, print and collage. Join them for a floor talk lead by curator Pippa Milne, discussing how their work integrates rare book natural history illustrations and science, while also reflecting on their ongoing engagement with nature and biodiversity.
Performance: Untying knots in the sky
7pm–7.30pm
Primrose Potter Studio, Level 1
Booking required: RSVP here
Breathing with muscle and singing with blood flow, Untying knots in the sky arises through vocalisation, breathwork, meditation practice and the artists’ relationship. As Barry and Jadu attend to the vital bodily rhythms between them, the boundary between inner experience and outward expression begins to dissolve. Responding to growing division and political turbulence, the artists offer the practice of listening, and attending to diverging patterns while remaining in connection. Untying knots in the sky is an invitation to witness what happens through the steady, insistent act of breathing together.
Hands-On: Slow Down and Draw
5pm–8pm
Throughout the gallery
No bookings required
Designated vantage points throughout the gallery will offer moments of observation and reflection — using the materials supplied, we invite you to take a moment to create your own drawing inspired by the artworks around you. Portable stools and bench seating are available throughout the building, and you’re welcome to bring your own drawing materials if you prefer.
The Potter Museum of Art
Cnr of Swanston Street and Masson Road, Parkville
The Potter Museum of Art
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18th of April, 2026
A velvet ant, a flower and a bird, curated by Professor Dr Chus Martínez (image credit: Darren Gill, courtesy of the Potter Museum of Art)
