A Nod and a Wink

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The inspiration for Kitty Calvert's unique one-off sculptures comes from a love of vintage and a desire to re-use and recycle unique pieces of discarded treasure. Evoking cherished memories of childhood and making new cool stuff out of old cool stuff. Kitty's wish is to delight her audience with mischievous frivolity and quirky humour.

Behind Kitty Calvert are two individuals: She developed a passion for vintage toys at birth (they weren’t vintage at the time), and at 12 she was one of Sydney’s, Paddington Markets first and youngest stallholders, continuing to trade in vintage ephemera at various markets and street fairs around Sydney. He learned how not to “strangle” a hammer around the age of 3, along with a good method for whacking things, which stood him in good stead in his future career as a drummer. His father taught him how to make and fix things “proper” and about how to use tools and build stuff.

Fast forward to today and together they are Kitty Calvert, lovers of vintage, recycling, up-cycling, re-engineering and stories. Kitty Calvert invites the viewer to reflect on the concept of waste in the world, of recycling that waste into a new form and the potential journey each individual piece has made to its final resting place inside the sculpture. No two sculptures are the same. They give fond memories of simpler times and transport the viewer on their own magical journey of memory. Each piece has been left in its original found state. The patina, paint, dents, scratches, bruises, "bed hair" and dirt are all part of the history of each piece that comes together in their studio in Port Melbourne to create an original Kitty Calvert.