String of Blue (Mparntwe/Alice Springs)

2022

Materials: Old porcelain, salvaged electrical conduit

Exhibited for ‘Straight From the Heart’, JamFactory, 2022

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.