Seeing Beyond Separation

An Artist Residency at Central Craft was the inspiration for this body of work. Iconic landscapes like Uluru, Tjoritja (West MacDonnell Ranges), and Mpulungkinya (Palm Valley) were explored, but so were the streets of Mparntwe (Alice Springs) where one could engage with locals, both First and Second Nations peoples.

While exploring the town, exceptionally high fences were found to be surrounding the majority of the residential houses. Visitors and locals alike were excluded from seeing local architecture. These fences had stemmed from the days of the installation of the American Pine Gap satellite surveillance base. At the time, Mparntwe was designated not only a remote location, but a dangerous one, requiring high fences to be installed around defence personnel’s accommodation. This has morphed over time to include most of the properties in the town and be explained in ways as varying from needing to keep dogs safely enclosed to keeping indigenous people out. Meanwhile, at a visit to the Earth Sanctuary, a completely different way of looking at things was explained. The local Arrernte people do not focus on the stars in the night sky, but the space between them, resulting in the famous Dark Emu shape in the Milky Way.

The series, Seeing Beyond Separation, is an attempt to ask humans to see through the artificial barriers we raise and view the beauty, variety and uniqueness of the ‘other’. By using shapes inspired by the fences that were witnessed, these are reimagined in precious metals and striking ombre colours to draw viewer’s eyes to what lies beneath.

The residency itself and the subsequent making of this series of coordinating necklaces, earrings and rings has resulted in a different way to process a unique experience and develop a new way of creating work.

2022

Titanium, Sterling Silver, Anodising, Riveting, Soldering

Necklace (50x6x1cm), Earrings (7x3x1cm), Ring (2.5x2.5x1cm)