The Sea, The Sea

Tyereelore Elder Nannette Shaw (Trawoolway, Bunurong) and niece Fiona Hughes make their work the same way the ancestral women of the Furneaux Islands and Lutruwita have for thousands of years. For generations kelp vessels were made and used by Palawa women to carry water. Nannette’s kelp vessels are made in a slow process that begins with gathering the kelp from various locations on the island. Nannette’s practice is central to her well-being, she says, ‘Kelp is a very important part of who I am … It connects me to Country, Culture and my Ancestral Women.’  

For this exhibition Fiona Hughes (Trawoolway, Tyereelore, Bunurong) presents her shell jewellery. Fiona was taught by her mother who is the sister of the late Aunty Joan Brown who was one of four shell stringers from Cape Barren Island. Shell stringing is the cultural practice of collecting, preparing and stringing shell necklaces and bracelets. This practice is unique to Tasmanian Aboriginal women, and is widely recognised as being the finest work of its kind in the world.

Nannette and Fiona are concerned about the significant decline in kelp and shells that they have observed in recent years, as human induced climate change threatens the continuation of their vital cultural practices.

Sarah Faulkner’s painting career spans over forty years, with her most recent paintings finding their genesis in the Mornington Peninsula’s back beaches. The artist relocated from Melbourne to Blairgowrie in 2020 and this series captures the mercurial moods of the sea and sky.

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