The women of Boronggoop
The women of Boronggoop
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Alternative title
Shelley Hannigan's installation in the 8-person SEAM exhibitionLocation
The Project Space, Deakin Waterfront, GeelongStart date
2023-04-26End date
2023-05-12Language
EnglishResearch statement
Background Research was conducted into Anne Drysdale and Caroline Newcomb - two women who lived together and managed farms in the late 1840s in Drysdale. They built Coriyule, a stone house designed by the Melbourne architect, Charles Laing and their diaries and legacy offer important accounts of survival as Scottish immigrant women living as a couple. This research was translated through innovative fibre art processes: Knitting a dress for each woman out of copper thread that represented their earthly existence, working farm tools with textile processes and creating a fencing pile that speak to the colonising habits fencing off domestic, private land (and lifes). Contribution As an arts-based and narrative researcher, this new installation reclaims and redefines the role of traditional crafts in telling stories of heritage. It elevates textile arts to a position of significance in discussing this particular story of Geelong's heritage. Through written accounts, social media and conference discussion about these women, the materiality and images I have created capture multiple perspectives, contemporary accounts from locals as well as archived data. This installation engaged the public, with visitors reading the catalogue, engaging the artworks, sharing more stories inspired by the installation and recommending it to others. Significance The significance of this installation and the overall exhibition SEAM (which I curated) is that it was awarded funding through the City of Greater Geelong which is a peer reviewed process. The Project Space at Deakin was chosen as the best place to exhibit this for maximum public accessibility. My installation (and the other 7) were based on research into heritage stories and archived material from the Heritage Library. SEAM offered an "airing" of this research out to the public via my and others' art. This generated significant interest from the public who shared more stories, recommended the exhibition to relevant people thus growing the public engagement.Publication classification
JC4 Curated Exhibition or Event – OtherScale
NTRO OtherEvent
SEAMPublisher
Shelley HanniganPlace of publication
Geelong, Vic.Usage metrics
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