2021 | L500 X W300CM | SHIBORI, INDIGO-DYED COTTON, BAMBOO, ROPE
4 X PANELS L250 X W150CM EA
If we take a walk back through time we come to Yertabulti, a place of rest. The pre-settlement intertidal landscape was a maze of mangrove creeks and saltmarsh floodplains. At high tide, this site would have been inundated. The estuary system was fed with fresh water that flowed from the Adelaide Hills, across the plains and to the sea. This fertile environment supported a high concentration of marine life, seabirds and the Kaurna people of the Adelaide Plains who coexisted in harmony with the natural rhythms and seasons.
This shibori piece is created by rolling the fabric around a cord from each side of the long edge to the centre. The material is gathered along the cord to create a compressed “doughnut” shape. The cord is tied off to keep the bundle tight and then dipped in the dye vat. The folds of fabric create the patterns and shades of indigo seen in this work. This is a site-specific installation in The Dock Studios at Port Adelaide. The sail-like shibori stretched over bamboo poles and tied off with rope gives a subtle nod to the maritime history of the building and site. The watery tide rises above the space, like a shimmering, ephemeral memory of the time before settlement and the spirit of the place.
