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Virgil by Tim Meakins

To what extent are the Australian artists who grew up during the 1980s and 90s influenced by the shows they watched in childhood? How might Australian children’s television have ignited the imaginations of creative practitioners?

Those are the questions the ACTF team sought to answer by inviting six artists to create a new work based around their relationship with Australian kids’ TV and the culture of their formative years. The works were a vehicle to revisit the screen stories of their youth and examine the lasting impact children’s television had on their childhoods and, as adults, their artistic practice.

Here, Tim Meakins discusses how children's television shaped his childhood and inspired his work, 'Virgil'.

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Tim Meakins

Virgil, 2022

3D Render, Custom Frame, Hydro-Form Steel Frame

How did our television content shape your childhood experience?

Cartoons have always been at the forefront of my interest growing up, and are extremely influential to my art practice. The colour, style, and emotion these narratives would weave inspired me at a very young age to conjure stories of my own and imagine worlds beyond real life. I think without television, my practice would have taken a very different path.

Tell us about one of your fondest and strongest memories of watching Australian television.

Watching Li'l Elvis Jones and the Truckstoppers and being so interested and invested in the characters, the way they were illustrated and how the stories unfolded within the show. I still know the catch phrase song to this day.

How has ACTF content influenced your art practice?

ACTF has influenced my practice through its consistent creation and creative ways of storytelling. Colour, fun and extending my imagination beyond the bounds of the natural world.

Describe your artwork and the story behind it ?

This artwork is representative of Virgil the A.I. from Crash Zone, illustrating his ability to morph through technologies, interpreted in my style. The outer frame is made out of steel and uses a technique called Hydro Forming where two steel plates are soldered together and expanded with water. This material usage and technique represent the computer screen or simply technology holding Virgil within. The colourful 3D rendering imagery draws light to the fun and explosive nature of story lines and the characters of the show.

I hope audiences get a sense of wonder from my work - and find it fun!