I have been part of Naarm Textile Collective’s ground-breaking group shows since they started in 2020 and am very pleased to be showing one of my newest works in this exhibition.

‘The Wrong Side’ offers two sides to the story of settlement by pastoralists in 1840’s Victoria. Based on a map of the sheep runs and the Aboriginal Protectorate occupying DjaDja Wurrung Country, and positioned within a frame that suggests a museum display, this work questions the historical record and its telling. The use of a map for learning both geography and needlework follows the sampler tradition of 18th and 19th century England which formed part of a girl’s education but also reflected the British Empire’s interest in territory. My choice of materials and techniques tells part of the story. ‘Trapunto’ quilting creates scars where the fabric is cut, stuffed and re-stitched, suggesting the damage done by settlers. Wool forms one side of the quilted map and is used as stuffing: the wealth of wool drove the colony’s first expansion in what has been called the ‘largest land grab in history’. On the other side, fine broderie organza evokes the gentility thought to bring its ‘civilizing’ influence to the supposedly untamed land. The stitches themselves show effort but not expertise, echoing the artist’s stance towards her own history.