'For Doomadgee, laptops promise a future' and 'Indigenous kids get the plot' by Sarah Elks

"Indigenous kids get the plot" by sarah Elks, The Australian ( Mon August 22nd, 2011)

I came across Sarah Elks articles in The Australian newspaper, about remote Indigenous schools and communities getting the chance to improve their reading and writing schools through different programs and methods. One of these is the literacy program in the small remote school St Michaels Catholic School on Palm Island, which encourages students to read and write at their grade level, not employing 'dumbed-down' books and materials. Since 150 students are indigenous at the school and have English as their second language, it can be difficult for them to read and engage with english. However, this new literacy program has challenged and accelerated Indigenous students understanding and learning of how to read and write. This I think is obviously a great step in uniting all students together and letting them help each other by having them all read the same material. I think that at other schools, children that are given material intended for a students of lower literacy or an earlier grade, would make them feel more isolated and possible form slower learning in the long run.

"For Doomadgee, laptops promise a future" by Sarah Elks, The Australian ( Mon August 22nd, 2011)

Another program reported on is the One Laptop Per Child program where small cheap laptop computers with wireless internet access have been given to children in remote and regional communities throughout Australia. One of the biggest deployments of these hardy kid-friendly laptops was to Doomadgee, an Aboriginal community in northwest Queensland, 2250km from brisbane and isolated by flooding three months of the year. What I personally really like as a designer looking at these laptops is how they've been made especially for kids to engage them witch technology. Not only do their fluorescent green appearance make them more vibrant and interesting but the two antenna's on each side of the screen called "dingo ears" add another element of interest and fun. Again what's good to see I think is the element of inclusion the internet brings to the students, where an isolated community can engage with not only the rest of Australia but the world, despite extreme physical distances and barriers.

Current issues within Australia of a social, political and ethical nature are more than ever a part of some Indigenous artists work as a platform of commentary. Destiny Deacon I think is one artists who does this really successfully, drawing on her background in social activism to make sometimes satirical but always carefully and beautifully composed work to make these comments subtle and reflective. One of the techniques she employs in her photography/installation work is the juxtopositioning of materials and objects that form Western stereotypes and transforming them to reflect back on colonial Australia whilst still examining contemporary Indigenous Australian identity and views. The fact that Deacon uses a Polaroid camera a lot to create her constructed imagery, like through the photography of artist Ricky Maynard, maintains a connection to Colonialism. The misrepresentation of Indigenous people the camera served in creating as an introduced Western tool, Indigenous artists like Maynard and Deacon have taken as their own to produce work which constantly reminds us of these past injustices.

I think it's interesting the connections made between Western technology and Indigenous people or communities. The laptops supplied to children have been a great tool for them which will help them explore and learn about contemporary Australia and also it's development from the past. This is something at the heart of Deacon and Maynard's work as well, but they do in different and unique ways as contemporary Indigenous artists.


References:

• Sarah Elks, "Indigenous kids get the plot", The Australian, August 22nd, 2011
• Sarah Elks, "For Doomadgee, laptops promise a future", The Australian, August 22nd, 2011
• Blaire French, "Destiny Deacon", in Twelve Australian Photo Artists, 42 (Annandale, NSW: Piper press, 2009) 

Lecture 4: Franchesca Cubillo Speech

After first hearing Franchesca Cubillo's (Curator of Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander Art for the National Gallery of Australia) at the Darwin Aboriginal Art Fair Opening 2011, during the lecture, made it hard for me to take all of what she was saying in whilst also trying to take notes. Going over her speech again and really listening to what she was saying, I am completely taken by how well and how encouraging she was of not only her people but also non-indigenous Australians and the connections between the two that has made Indigenous art an culture so well represented and respected today.

Based on this, Franchesca makes several really great points and brings to speculation some really important moments in Indigenous art history. One being 1888, where Melbourne held the first exhibition of Indigenous artwork, appreciated as fine art and not as anthropological evidence of a dyeing culture. And in the 22 years since Indigenous artwork has taken place in galleries and museums collections all over Australia and even all over the world. One thing Franchesca said that I found really important is the way she acknowledged how these Indigenous communities worked with non-indigenous people, missionaries, anthropologists and governor officials. She explained how selected Indigenous leaders of various communities took the opportunity to help teach these non-indegeous people their culture, stories and their artwork, which they took to be seen by the rest of the world. For me I found this really important because the way she acknowledged this unity between indigenous and non-indigenous people, put aside any association or feelings to the horrific past between the two cultures in Australian history, making us look forward in a sense because of the art.

Another point which made this clearer and that I found really interesting was how the councils involved in the Aboriginal Arts Board, formed in 1973 by the Australian Government, donated the amazing artwork of Indigenous communities across Australia, to Institutions around the world because they weren't being bought. Franchesca notes that during a time when Australia wasn't appreciating this work, it was shown in 40 exhibitions overseas during the boards first 5 years, where the donations meant that other countries and cultures could understand and appreciate the true spirit and heart of where the work came from and the culture behind it. Australia then began to acknowledge the art for what it was. This really astonished me, to think that the work had to be taken to other countries, just to get it appreciated in it's homeland.

One point Franchesca makes that showed me how much more acknowledged Indigenous art has become over the last 35 or so years was about the Papunya paintings. That then, paintings by Papunya artists on masonited boards were $25-$30, and the same works depicting the same stories and heritage of it's people are now easily worth $600,000 at the least. It's here I began to connect the tutorial questions from this week (week 5), where I feel the statement by Susan McColloch pulled from the preface of her book Contemporary Aboriginal Art: A guide to the rebirth of an ancient culture, can be justified:

"The revitalisation of Australian Aboriginal art has been one of the greatest success stories of modern art." (pg. 10)

When putting the points Franchesca makes into consideration, I completely agree with this statement, and it still amazes me how valuable the work has become now, that only a few decades ago was donated because it wasn't being bought. As McColloch also presents, it's thought that the sales of Indigenous art is greater than $100 million annually. I would definitely associate many successes have been made surrounding Indigenous people that have centred on their artwork. As Franchesca draws back on, Art Fair's like the one in Darwin with the 43 art centres represented there, make this possible and tell people to stop and take a look at this truly rich diversity of Indigenous art that is now being made. What this speech has represented to me, is that events like this is another step in our history that lets Indigenous people teach us even more about their heritage, history and stories, another way we are looking forward.

References:

• Susan McCulloch, Contemporary Aboriginal Art: A guide to the rebirth of an ancient culture (NSW, Australia: Allen & Unwin, 1999), 10-11

'Believe' by Peter Sharrock

Tandanya Art gallery is featuring an exhibition by Indigenous artist Peter Sharrock called Believe which I was lucky enough to go and see the other week. The idea behind Sharrock's work is representing and recording the everyday, through works that he has been able to create that form quite an intimate play with shadow, line and form in a variety if mediums. Part of exploring this notion of everyday moments within an a contemporary Australian lifestyle, Sharrock writes, is our interaction with the Australian lifestyle.

What truly struck me from seeing this exhibition is just how contemporary looking Sharrock's work is, completely transforming the image of contemporary Indigenous Australian art. Sharrock himself has said that he is part of a new generation of Indigenous artists that present a new and changing face on the traditional, as an additional but positive step. I think this is a really interesting and important point, Sharrock has made, especially after seeing this notion presented in his work and coming away with a much broader and greater appreciation for the scope of Indigenous art.

What really connected with me was the design elements and looks a lot of the pieces took on. Sharrock has achieved a degree in Visual Arts and Applied Design in 2005 and I think would have definitely contributed to the honeycomb looking style he has perfected over 12 years. The crispness and cleanness of the honeycomb shapes, together with the composition they create add a great understanding of space, form and lines, as well as harmony and attention to repetition. In this way I felt there was a real poetic and organic nature to the work, accompanied by many poems presented as the artists statements with a majority of the pieces. I was truly amazed at how successful Sharrock was able to apply this style to a variety of materials like paper, linen and ceramics. The attention to detail and painstaking carving that must have gone into each piece made me appreciate it even more. One example is The Mark (2011), which I really responded too because of it's composition and the incredible shadows it made behind it as another layer.

The Mark, 2011, yellow ochre, 640gsm paper, acrylic, varnish mounted on board., 80 x 80 x 11 cm

Whilst Sharrock's work is quite contemporary in it's style and ideas, I think there is still a connection he is making to his cultural Indigenous heritage. In The Mark and many other works, he uses a variety of coloured ochre's to add the colours to the papers and fabrics. Sharrock's family descent from Eastern Arrernte becomes part of his work and supports his identity and the connections to the Australian landscape. In this way I think Sharrock is successfully adapting the traditional within a contemporary understanding and style, that also challenges the publics notion of work by Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander artists.

References:

• "Believe, Peter Sharrock", Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Inc., 2011
• Tandanya National Aboriginal Cultural Inc.,"Believe, Peter Sharrock", (2011), http://www.tandanya.com.au/ed94/peter-sharrock-believe/, (accessed: 31/7/2011)
• Brett Williamson, (July 7 2011), "Inspiring Indigenous Art", ABC, http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2011/07/07/3263194.htm, (accessed: 11/8/2011)

Lecture 1: Exploring the Beginning of Indigenous Art

After the first lecture on Indigenous Art, Culture and Design (Wednesday 27th July 2011), I found out so much about a subject I actually knew very little about. Although a brief History of Australian Indigenous Art was covered and only several key moments were pointed out, it was still enough to engage me and show me that there was a whole world of culture and art out there in my country that I hadn't even noticed or really appreciated.

Detail of the Bradshaw Paintings, Kimberly Region, Northwestern Australia, period unknown (up to 65,000 years)

One of the points that stood out most for me was about the Bradshaw paintings in the Kimberly region of Northwestern Australia. The fact that this vast collection of rock art could in fact be the oldest representation of figurative paintings, up to 65,000+ years old, really pointed out to me the importance of recognising Indigenous Art as being one of the oldest forms of art on earth. Regardless of the fact that the actual age of this rock art is still undefined, they're sophistication in depicting humans and animals is quite advanced and unbelievable. Not only is this shown through they're technique but the range in the style is quite amazing, showing figures with great variations with different ornamental qualities and clothing like head-dresses. Another interesting point I came across was that the representation of figures as the main subject in Palaeolithic art is quite rare and the focus is normally on the depiction of animals, making. The Bradshaw Paintings relate to the Mowanjum people and are still echoed through their works. This emphasises how ancient and important Indigenous art is on the world art stage.

For me it's interesting to compare this ancient history of Indigenous art with that of Western cultures. So much of my studies so far have been concentrated on Western Art history and movements, and whilst learning about this has been a rich and rewarding experience, I wonder why we didn't start with Australian Indigenous Art that has far deeper artistic connections to us as Australians and in terms of the history of art being created and represented by man on earth. However, what is interesting to me is the contrast between Western art and Australian Indigenous Art. Western art's evolvement from one artistic movement to the next, always adopting a changing style and appearance that often came as a representation and reaction of society, is quite the contrast to that of Indigenous art. Indigenous art, whilst it is even older than Western art, has still maintained many qualities, symbols and techniques representative of that indigenous communities generation and land up until this day. It has a far more literal and direct link with their past and connection to their ancestors and land. The Bradshaw paintings are the extreme and prime example of this.


References:

• P.P. Biro, TW Ebersole, MAJ Felder, IB Jensen, P. Michaelsen, NW Smith and P Von Liptak., "An initial investigation into aspects of preservation potential of the Bradshaw rock-art, system, Kimberly, northwestern Australia", Antiquity, Volume 75 Issue 288 (June 2001): 257
• "The Lost World of the Bradshaws (Guion Guion)", (2008), Convict Creations, http://www.convictcreations.com/aborigines/bradshaws.htm, (accessed 4/8/2011)