Corn Snake (From Pukatja/Ernabella)

2022

Exhibited at JamFactory, Gallery 2, for ‘Straight From the Heart’

Materials: Salvaged electrical conduit

This work is made from found electrical conduit that has been collected from the local rubbish dump in Pukatja/Ernabella, APY Lands. The piece was made by hand, using pliers, snips, a needle and a piece of wooden dowel.

The conduit was salvaged from discarded home wares and appliances and prepared with a particular series of steps to create ‘beads’ from the plastic coating of the conduit. The material was first cut in to short lengths. The metal interior of the conduit was then removed, being careful not to destroy the plastic exterior. I was then left with plastic tube that I cut into shorter lengths, suitable for beading. The ‘plastic string’ used to thread the beads was sourced from the same electric conduit.

Through my research into beading and my exploration of its potential, I found ‘The Art of Beadwork’ by Valerie Hector, which educated me on traditional weaving and beading techniques that I used to construct the work.

Beading is a universal language that has the ability to transcend cultures and communicate a plethora of information around place, identity, status and history.

Beading with electrical conduit reminded me of weaving with plant fibres. Both involve ritualistic and repetitive methods of gathering, arranging and preparing, which relies heavily on the body; manual, sensory, laborious, meditative.

This work evolved as I began regularly spending time in Aboriginal Art Centres. I started to construct a narrative of Australia’s history through the lens of these communities, their people and their work. The process of collecting materials connected me to the land that I was in/on (Pukatja/Ernabella), helping me to understand the history and identity of that place. Discarded white goods were abundant, and seemed to be a permanent part of the environment. I learnt about what was there and what is now not there, and what that means for one’s identity. And I thought (think) about the colonial structures and forces that created that change.