![]() I wanted to know how exactly the Japanese and Chinese side of our family came to be in Australia. When I went back to university to study art (only finished a year of it), I called my dad and asked to hear more of our family story. ![]() What’s your approach to the historical research part of the project? Anything you’ve come across that really surprised you? I love working with materials that have had a life-that have memories and histories that I can intervene in or alter.Ī good example of how I approach materials are my works for the Hyphenated Biennial: I am exploring, sharing and celebrating my mixed Aboriginal, Asian, Anglo Australian heritage as a way of dissecting moments in Australia’s recent history which has had an impact on my ancestors.įor this body of work, I am focusing on materials representative of these moments, such as the pearling industry boom, as well as materials of cultural significance to my various overlapping identities: mother-of-pearl shells and buttons, red silk thread, Larrakia ochres, tea, Japanese and Chinese art papers, souvenir ‘shell’ ephemera from Darwin and Broome and more! The plan for this body of work is to simply present a list of materials as my statement. I tend to draw almost all of the meaning in my work from the materials I am using, materials that evoke memories in myself or viewer: the altered cutlery and serving ware works I create are purposely the type of silverware that I think many Anglo Australians would remember from their grandparents’ or parents’ house-still in their box in the ‘good cabinet’ or the spare odd one that hangs around in the drawer. What comes first for you: medium or concept?ĭefinitely medium. We were the first craftspeople on this land. I think I want my advocacy and involvement to make sure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander makers are represented in these spaces. Purchasing contemporary craft means you have a beautifully handcrafted and often usable object, and you have also supported a dedicated crafts person. Craft seems to have such dirty connotations, but as we move towards more conscious consumerism-and we see newer generations interested in art collecting-the craft sector can be an amazing place to begin. ![]() That historical idea that men are artists and women make craft is something I am really hyper conscious of. My work is so materially driven, and this way of thinking has really resonated with me.Īs for it being a loaded space, this is something I am really aware of and am still working through. I see craft as being a dedication to a material and process-you have makers dedicating their entire lives to a material or object or process. It resonated with me thinking about how Aboriginal people think of and respect our master weavers and makers. ![]() As I was researching paper craft, I was reading more and more about the cultural importance of craftspeople and of traditional craft, especially in Kyoto. I first started thinking about craft when I was researching for an application for a two-month residency in Kyoto through the Australia Council (which I received but it’s been postponed to next year). ![]() I think of myself as using craft techniques and craft ways of thinking about processes and materials. You had a residency with Craft Victoria last year and now you’re on the board there- how do you feel about the terms ‘art’ and ‘craft’? They can be so loaded, especially in relation to gender and race. ![]()
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