Out of Quarantine MAG&M (2015)

Research Background Ceramic artworks produced for exhibition at Manly Art Gallery & Museum, in partnership with the Quarantine Station (Sydney Harbour National Park, Manly). Responding to an exhibition brief, the research explored ideas of quarantine, migration and place. I was one of four contemporary artists invited to select items from the Q Stations collection to respond to, while also drawing inspiration from the site and its history. How do four artists respond to a poignant and important part of Australian history? Research Contribution My research responded to the stories conveyed by Chinese characters incised into sandstone outcrops that surrounded the Q Stations historic buildings. The inscriptions are reminders of hardship, loss and estrangement experienced by early Chinese migrants. The exhibition of objects engendered metaphors for cultural difference, separation and transmigration. New work engages with innovative art practice while using conventional techniques of making. Traditional wheel thrown processes were manipulated and represented to create commentary about social and cultural conditions in the Quarantine Station. The experimental surface treatment combined digital technology with hands-on studio disciplines to envisage Chinese characters and messages drawn from the historical site. Research Significance The exhibition, catalogue and seminar demonstrated the significance of fours artists responses to an important part of Australian history. My research was shaped by the experience of working internationally in Jingdezhen, China with Chinese artisans and a calligrapher, with the intention of responding to historical experiences of Chinese migration. Two ceramic works were acquired for the Many Art Gallery collection.