Nic Carstensen - Photographer

Nic Cartensen is an Art Gallery Guide and a Photographer.  

Details about the exhibition

Inspired by……… an exhibition by 26 volunteers at AGSA 

(Art Gallery of South Australia)

Light Square Gallery, 39 Light Square, Adelaide 

https://www.tafesa.edu.au/adelaide-college-of-the-arts/light-square-gallery

Wed 5th August - Friday 21st August 

Monday to Friday - 10.00 a.m. - 5.00 p.m. 

Official Launch:   

Jason Smith, Director, AGSA 

Thursday 13th August, 3.00 p.m. - 5.00 p.m. 

Music is original music by David Innocente 

"One Thing Led to Another"

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:11

Welcome to Inspired by Art and Volunteering, an exhibition with me, Tanya Ingerson. This is such an exciting project. This is a project where volunteers of the Art Gallery of South Australia are getting together during Salah 2026 to do an exhibition of their artwork. Some are a little nervous about being called an artist, but we have incredible people and talent and it's very exciting. Building up to the exhibition, which is going to be held at Light Square Gallery in Adelaide August the 5th to August the 21st, details will be is at the bottom of this podcast. This podcast I interviewed Nick Cardison. It was a really interesting, like all the artists are. So sit back and relax and enjoy the conversation I had with Nick. Hi, Nick. Thanks for doing this interview today. Oh, you're welcome, Tanya. What is your role as a volunteer here at the Art Gallery of South Australia?

SPEAKER_00 1:45

My role as a volunteer. And then perhaps you want to know how long I've been a volunteer.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Do you know what, Nick? Are you reading my mind? I do want to know how long, because it I feel like from when I graduated as a guide. In fact, this is great for the listeners to even hear this. Is that we get a mentor that helps us in the last part of our training because we trained for a year and you were my mentor. That was that so long ago. I know, there you go. You've forgotten that you're my mentor. You're responsible for how I deliver to us.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

Oh, right. Okay. Well, I must have done really well then.

SPEAKER_01 2:21

So, yeah, so what is it that you actually do here as a volunteer?

SPEAKER_00 2:26

Oh, a number of things apart from guiding on the floor. Um, well, I trained as a guide in 2012, and over time I I took on the management of the roster and then the guide's portal, looked after the the guide's roster for a long time. Um now that that's actually morphed into a much more complex process with um increasing offerings from AGSA. Um we have a lot more uh a large number of um visitors, including schools. So there's a a larger number of school tours that have to be organised.

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Yeah, well we do have, I mean, our listeners might not know this, but we have a lot of school groups that come through for the general collection and special interests within the collection and the exhibitions as well. It's it's a big it's a big project. And you have also been involved in training new guides as well, haven't you?

SPEAKER_00 3:27

Yes, I have.

SPEAKER_01 3:28

And and when was that?

SPEAKER_00 3:29

That was um over 2023-24.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

Did you enjoy that?

SPEAKER_00 3:35

It had its challenges. Yes, I did.

SPEAKER_01 3:38

It's a bit actually for our listeners. Um, would you like to just explain what is the process to becoming a guide and the training that happens and how long it is?

SPEAKER_00 3:49

Um well it starts off with um an invitation from AGSA together with the the guides for people to uh apply with a um an expression of interest. And then there's a a short listing process. Um and then once we've chosen a cohort, and it can be anywhere between 15 and 20 or thereabouts, yeah. Um we give them opportunities to become familiar with the collection, how to present to the public, how to speak about a particular work, um, how to thread a narrative. And at the end of 12 months, um they're let loose on the public. There we go, that's what happens.

SPEAKER_01 4:41

And what do you enjoy about being a volunteer here?

SPEAKER_00 4:45

Um I feel quite honoured to to to um represent or or present for AGSA. One of the things I particularly like about being a volunteer guide is that um it was something that I hadn't even prepared myself for. I began a guide full of full of trepidation because I'd be watching these accomplished guides who've been doing it for so long, and I thought, oh goodness me, you know, will I ever be that good? Um but I didn't have worried because all guides initially feel like that button uh and that was really no surprise to me in a way. But what did surprise me was the feeling of camaraderie, the the sharing of a common interest, and the excitement that we get and share with the knowledge um that we gain from art. Absolutely bonding experience.

SPEAKER_01 5:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 5:48

And the fact that I've done a post-retirement from a professional life as a teacher. Um a new lease on life.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

And everybody comes from so such quite diverse backgrounds. Such diverse backgrounds and such diverse interest in art is that um you know, you we can have our passion, as uh I've mentioned before to the listeners. My passion is European historical art from the 15th to seven around 17th century art. But I have a lot of good friends that love contemporary modern art. Yes, and that's what's so great about being a volunteer here, isn't it? Because you you get to experience things you would not normally, and then you appreciate it.

SPEAKER_00 6:36

It widened your horizons, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:39

And for the Inspired By exhibition, what is your art practice?

SPEAKER_00 6:46

My art practice, um I'm feeling a little nervous about it because I'm not um I'm not an artist in the sense that I've dedicated my whole life or my time to um it's photography. I've always had an interest in um photography from an early age.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Um so well we share that that love of photography because I'm a photographer, and it's an interesting thing to say that um there is a feeling, or we know from our studies that photography wasn't always considered to be part of art. It wasn't always considered to be part of lots of collections, but it certainly is now, and there's a lot more creativity that is involved in photography now and how it's presented. Did would you say that?

SPEAKER_00 7:39

I think I'd agree with you, but I'm just thinking back to um photography does interest me. If I see there's a photographic exhibition, I'll be uh I'm I'll go and have a look on.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Yes.

SPEAKER_00 7:54

And I'm just uh blown away by the precision and the the um the patience of the photographers and they're they're almost fastidious in capturing the detail.

SPEAKER_01 8:11

What do you enjoy photographing?

SPEAKER_00 8:13

Well, um using an SLR um is the preferred um device to use. Um but it's I don't carry it with me all the time. Um because for me um what's the inspiration for this exhibition is is capturing the moment. And quite often the moment is there, but the the camera isn't. And that's where I know it's frowned upon, but um using my smartphone has opened a whole lot of new possibilities. It's about capturing that moment, and I I read it's a bit like um bit like fishing. It's the ones that get away rather than the ones off court.

SPEAKER_01 9:08

And is there um and yes, you've touched on a little bit, is for this exhibition, what have you been inspired by for what the work is that you're going to exhibit?

SPEAKER_00 9:20

There are uh a number of uh photos that I've taken that I'm um really pleased with because I did, I think I captured that moment, um, and it's got a certain atmosphere to it. Um so I then I had to think back retrospectively and say, well, what inspired me? Um and I think it is it's about capturing the moment.

SPEAKER_01 9:44

There's something about I think I know I'm drawn to photography, is that when you see a really extraordinary photo, it's very difficult, I find, to look at that photo and clearly describe what it is that draws me to it. There's a there's something that is captured in that moment that can't sometimes be explained.

SPEAKER_00 10:09

I agree. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_01 10:11

Makes them very powerful, would you say that?

SPEAKER_00 10:14

Yes, I think you're right.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Has there been a photo in line with what we just discussed about how you capture sometimes you can capture that moment and it's hard to explain what it is that is engaging people. Did you have that experience?

SPEAKER_00 10:33

Oh, definitely. In so many cases, relating to what you've just said, is that for me, I've actually seen the photo before I've taken it. Oh, see that's so in the sense, like the photos there waiting for me. I have to be there at the right time, at the right place for me to capture it. And when that happens Oh, I know when it happens, it happens like that, but it's a rare thing.

SPEAKER_01 11:02

How do you feel when that happens?

SPEAKER_00 11:04

Oh, I love it.

SPEAKER_01 11:05

Yeah, yeah. And do you what about when other people see that you've captured it that same moment? Can you see that they have been able to see it as well?

SPEAKER_00 11:14

Well, there's a couple of works that I've got um displayed at home, and there's a couple that people have commented on. Yeah. So it's caught their attention.

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Yeah, because you've just captured that moment. So one last question. What do you love about art?

SPEAKER_00 11:32

That's a tricky question. I don't know which angle to come from.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

There's no right or wrong to any of my questions.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Um I'm really impressed with technique. Um I really like looking at words and thinking, gosh, that's clever. Not that I wish I could do that, although perhaps I could, but um it for me a good piece of art or good work of art um captures firstly captures my imagination and my um attention, but also um gives me an opportunity to see something that that artist has presented me with.

SPEAKER_01 12:21

Thank you so much for talking to me today. And you're welcome. Yeah, and look forward to you being a part of Inspired By exhibition, which is part of Sala this year, which is very exciting. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 12:32

Which is pretty exciting. Thank you, Tanya.

SPEAKER_01 12:35

Well, I hope you enjoyed that chat that I had with Nick. There were so many different things that were really interesting chatting with Nick, but I think I really enjoyed the conversation about what you get as being a gallery guide and that sharing of interests and and even the interests indirectly with the art of Nick particularly liking techniques and getting to understand and see what the artist is trying to present. It was a it was a great chat, and I hope that you enjoyed it. So join me next time when I interview another artist that will be exhibiting in the Inspired By Art and Volunteering exhibition this year in Salah 2026. Until then, bye for now.