Marmalade Issue 5, 2017

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Previous page: Yolngu Weaver of Elcho Island Arts Verity Burarrwanga. Photographer: Rhett Hammerton. Top: Nicole Monks, nyinajimanha (sitting together), 2016 blackwood, gold plated steel. stool: 45cm x 40cm x 44cm table: 94cm x 94cm x 34cm, Nicole Monks, thalanara (rug) 2016, pelt kangaroo skin blanket Photographer: Boaz Nothman. Yorta Yorta curator Kimberley Moulton writes of the unsettling pull between identities and the demand to represent an ‘authentic’ Aboriginal self. Like the architecture and design sector, the arts industry also attempts to classify us from a set of presumed values. Moulton writes: “The concept of authenticity which has its roots deeply embedded in theories of racial purity seem to still dictate and be at the forefront of discussion and representation of Indigenous art and cultural material in museums and galleries. This expectation of authentic identity comes from many directions, that of the institution from the expectation of the viewer and from the Indigenous artists deconstructing and representing this concept themselves. There is still a game of tug of war between western anthropological museum practice and the contemporary curator of what is authentic enough to be Bla(c)k today in a museum.” 3 Given these obstacles, how does the mixed race, light-skinned, city dwelling blackfella begin to express their layered identities and complex influences within the white curatorial gaze? These issues are impossible to separate when approaching Indigenous artwork but Aboriginal artists are increasingly finding ways to push through these barriers, creating dynamic work and unique partnerships which defy stereotypes. JamFactory’s exhibition Confluence as part of TARNANTHI Festival of Contemporary Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Art exemplifies this featuring two significant collections by Nicole Monks and Elcho Island Weavers in collaboration with Koskela. 26 / ISSUE 05
‘The challenge to white Australia is to address a question. How does the nation move from a state of colonial anxiety that refuses genuine recognition and engagement to a concept of locating ‘Indigenous theories, methodologies, and methods at the centre, not the periphery’ of our society?’ The work of Monks, a Sydney-based Wajarri Yamatji woman with Indigenous, English and Dutch ancestry draws from her diverse heritage. Her furniture range creates a meeting point where Indigenous philosophies of sustainability, innovation and collaboration merge with contemporary art and design principles. The series marlu (kangaroo) from 2016 features wabarn-wabarn (bounce) chair with undardu (kangaroo skin blankets), walarnu (boomerang) chair and nyinajimanha (sitting together) stools and table and thalanara (rug). The powerful pieces use the recognizable language of furniture design yet seamlessly weave cultural narratives, which beguile and intrigue. Two worlds are colliding but nothing clashes or contradicts, instead unity is found and celebrated. In nyinajimanha (sitting together) a round table and chairs create a striking balance in polished blackwood echoing the sleek minimal furniture popular in industrial style cafes. But these choices are not just functional or aesthetic they are created to tell the story of people connecting and sharing knowledge. The chairs are positioned close to the ground to connect us to the Earth. At the centre of the table, a woven basket with both knitting needles and traditional weavings are in mid-flow, connecting both cultures through their similarities and craft. Monks is showing the viewer, or user, that Australia is a complex environment where wildly different lifestyles and races exist (not always in harmony) but it is possible to find connection and meaning in our plurality, which brings us closer together. For Monks, living in a city like Sydney is an opportunity to connect with her culture and respect the land of the Gadigal people in a multicultural landscape of many influences. The search for the ‘real Aboriginal’ is replaced by genuine meaning and understanding of history and our future. In her own acknowledgement to country she states: “We are all connected to this place as we live, work and play on Aboriginal Land. Today 228 years after the invasion I stand here as part of the design industry where we talk about sustainability and eco footprints influencing our design. But for the custodians of this land the philosophies of interconnectedness and respecting the Earth is a way of life, of being. As the designers, the creatives and the future makers, you have the ability to drive change. We are creating the history of now with the objects and spaces we create and the future we want to live in, for me this responsibility means taking lead from the custodians of this land and I thank them for imparting me with this knowledge.” 4 Earlier this year I attended the Place, Politics and Privilege Conference at Victoria University. The keynote lecture by Professor Tony Birch talked about Aboriginal and white Australia’s differences but also stressed the need for collaboration if we are to resolve significant issues like climate change. His words soothed some of my own cynicism, recognising the power of working together and fusing knowledge which Monks’s furniture so beautifully illustrates. But as I have also witnessed in my own career these collaborations often eschew the Aboriginal voice. In an article Climate Change, Recognition and Social Place-Making Birch writes: “The challenge to white Australia is to address a question. How does the nation move from a state of colonial anxiety that refuses genuine recognition and engagement to a ISSUE 05 / 27
Page 1: ISSUE NO 05 CRAFT + DESIGN
Page 5: Marmalade Editorial Team Margaret H
Page 8 and 9: Highlights illumini X Aristologist
Page 10 and 11: Highlights From JamFactory to Lime
Page 12 and 13: Highlights Julie Blyfield Mentorshi
Page 14 and 15: Feature Adelaide Aesthetic Words by
Page 16 and 17: Top: Lex Stobie, Omega Tall Boy. Ph
Page 18 and 19: Tweny years ago, the mass exodus of
Page 20 and 21: 2017 Australian Furniture Design Aw
Page 22 and 23: Feature JAMFACTORY ICON CATHERINE T
Page 24 and 25: Beginnings are especially important
Page 26 and 27: Feature
Page 30 and 31: concept of locating ‘Indigenous t
Page 32: Feature Studio Pottery Words by Dam
Page 35 and 36: attainable at a level that was prev
Page 37 and 38: In 2017 JamFactory celebrates the 1
Page 39 and 40: Star-gazing nets, stairways to heav
Page 41 and 42: Creative direction of applied arts
Page 43 and 44: e Goulder family were making furnit
Page 45 and 46: Only a few people consider themselv
Page 47 and 48: ‘The job you didn’t know you al
Page 49 and 50: ISSUE 05 / 47
Page 51 and 52: After 35 years of collaboration, Ro
Page 53 and 54: Contemporary Adelaidebased jeweller
Page 55 and 56: STEEL : ART DESIGN ARCHITECTURE Cai
Page 57 and 58: JAMFACTORY PRODUCT FURNITURE JamFac
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Page 64 and 65: MAJOR PARTNERS GOVERNMENT PARTNERS
Page 66 and 67: JamFactory is a not for profit orga
Page 68: JamFactory thanks our major sponsor

Marmalade Issue 5, 2017

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