Australian Anthropological Society Conference, 2023.

I was invited as an artist, to contribute to a panel discussion at the Australian Anthropological Society Conference: Vulnerabilities, Macquarie University, 28.11.2023-01.12.2023. It is a significant opportunity to be part of the presentation: Transforming Naturalism: What might it take? Papers being presented by Dr. Ute Eickelkamp, Sally Babidge, and Debbie Long, 29.11.2023. Conference program: https://register.oxfordabstracts.com/event/4211.

Practice Outline: There are enduring themes of identity, Indigeneity, failure, fragility, entangled, challenging and complex relationships throughout my work. I am interested in how these impact, intersect and become barriers within our environmental crisis context while my art practice functions within the discomfort of decolonisation frameworks. I aim at strengthening the non-Indigenous and Indigenous relationship, negotiating meaningful, respectful space for the revitalisation of Indigenous culture and environmental knowledges. I see these as crucial elements for responding to multi-species devastation in the Anthropocene. One of my primary practice goals is to facilitate socially engaged, collaborative projects that instigate, investigate and challenge multiple environmental and socio-political objectives and processes at once.

Photographic representations of my character, Sister Everywhen, exhibited in Tracing the Rupture at Katoomba Cultural Centre preceded the invitation by Dr. Ute Eickelkamp. The conference waived my conference fee under First Nations participation and the fee for my NDIS Support Service, for the whole conference program. Discussing Sister Everywhen as an exploration into the individual and collective human psyche, vulnerabilities, social pollution, identity, belonging, rejection and acceptance. It poses questions about potential impacts of the complex intersections of environmental crises and socio-political greed and apathy, upon individual and collective consciousness and identity.

Sister Everywhen is a performative character, moment of awareness by my other performance character, Sister GlitterNullius. Sister Everywhen is the realisation that Sister GlitterNullius’ DNA infected by micro-plastix is much more than a physical infection. The micro-plastix have Sister GlitterNullius morphing into a bird yet, neither humans nor birds accept her as anything other than a monster. Sister Everywhen is the realisation that the infection spreads into all aspects of her existence, identity, sense of belonging and connection with her Aboriginal culture. In this awareness, Sister Everywhen understands she may never dance, be accepted into corroboree or ceremony so, takes herself into the bush to see what her foot to the earth in dance might feel like. My work through Sister GlitterNullius and Sister Everywhen, is driven by a philosophy of leading with my vulnerabilities, voice for the lost, the fragile and failure. As an Aboriginal woman, artist with a disability, giving voice to fringe subjectivities, collectivities and presenting perceived vulnerabilities as strengths are key elements of my practice.