Contemporary art is obsessed with messages and it's not rare to see in a gallery or at a major event obscure and complex works in state of the art materials that claim to be addressing specific topics such as social issues or the many threats to the natural environment. Yet, quite often, the humility of simple materials that leave the technique behind a work exposed reveal more about the artist who made them and end up telling more engaging narratives.
Glenda Nicholl represents for example in her "A Woman's Rite of Passage" - a work consisting in three life-size sculptural hand-woven jute string cloaks - indigenous women and the role they play in Welcome to Country ceremonies.
This multi-layered and sensorial representation that - as seen in a previous post - won Nicholls the Deadly Art Prize at the 2015 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards, celebrates women and the traditions of Nicholls' country.
As Nicholls reveals in the following interview, the craftmanship behind the "Acknowledgment", "Elders" and "Welcome" cloaks, was put at the service of an idea that slowly formed in her mind as the materials spoke to her - recounting the unspoken stories of the lives of Aboriginal women in the early settlements of Australia. In this way the capes turn into key elements in a complex, yet delicate and fragile narration reaching deep into her roots and family history.
The three cloaks from "A Woman's Rite of Passage" could be considered as physical embodiments of social and historical narratives, but there is also something magical about them. You can almost imagine them being donned by shamanic figures engaging in powerful rituals: were you aware of this special power while you were making the cloaks? Did they ever"“speak" to you?
Glenda Nicholls: Yes, from the very beginning of commencing the cloaks there was a connection. I had to wait for the right time to start the cloaks and then when I eventually started on the first cloak it was as if they were telling me what they wanted for adornment or recognition. They were finished when they said they were finished!
Can you tell us more about the materials you employed for these cloaks, how did you choose them?
Glenda Nicholls: There was always going to be three cloaks and I chose jute string for the weaving of the net-pieces as this closely resembled bush twine. I also used jute string because it is not always easy to find the fibre to make string especially if one does not live "on country". I had decided right from the beginning that each cloak was to have a possum skin collar. The cloaks were in the first instance going to be non-gender based, but that changed when I was trying to finish the second cloak. The possum skin collar on the cloaks wouldn't sit right, they seemed very feminine and that's when I realised that the cloaks were saying that they were for women!
The main materials you employed mainly come from nature - what does the natural environment represent for you?
Glenda Nicholls: It is important to me to try and use natural fibres and materials especially if these materials are biodegradable as they eventually blend back into the environment unlike other materials that take longer to break down in the environment. It is important to me to help protect our natural environment where possible as this is my part of caring for my country.
There is a deeper meaning also in the techniques you employed for the cloaks as the act of weaving physically reunites together threads and materials, but symbolically reunites people's lives. What does weaving represent for you? Is it a way to highlight your engagement with the world, with your personal stories or with the stories of your country?
Genda Nicholls: The net weaving technique I use represents my ancestors who lived along the Murray River (Milloo). This vision was I believe given to me to use. As a fishing fanatic myself, I feel honoured to have been given this vision and to me it means that the knotted technique that I use in my netweaving will live a bit longer in our community for future generations. It does highlight my personal engagement with the Murray River where I grew up and where my fathers' people lived and worked and the connection to my mothers' land in Ngarindjeri country. I think of them - my people, my ancestors - when I weave, and while weaving I wonder about how long it would have taken them to find the fibres to make the string; how long did it take them to make the nets and what they used to prepare the nets for fishing or hunting of animals; who was involved in making the nets - young, old, male or female? - and what happened to the nets when they were finished after a day of fishing. So, previously, fishnets were used as a tool but now I am able to make that tool in all its different forms and call it art.
You were taught to weave by your mother and grandmother, what kind of techniques did you learn from them and will you keep on developing your weaving skills in future in your artistic practice?
Glenda Nicholls: I grew up watching my Mother and Grandmother and my Father when they were making things. Mum and Nan were never idle, they were always doing something with their hands, whether it was knitting, crocheting, making feather flowers, making baskets or other crafts. We were encouraged to watch and learn and do with coaching here and there until we were able to for example knit something. I also loved watching Dad making the crayfish nets and boomerangs. I was always amazed to see Dad's finished crayfish net especially when he caught something in it.
In your practice and in your artworks do you always try and bring your pieces into the realm of experience, do you feel the need to make them more relevant to the visitors' personal experiences?
Glenda Nicholls: I do like to try and make something that triggers off a memory of yesterday. With the cloaks I used the netweaving style and native animals (although not Australian possum skin) but I was able to create something that could be used today.
Which contemporary Australian artists fascinate you?
Glenda Nicholls: My favourite contemporary Australian artist is Peter Waples-Crowe. His mind at work is to me exploring outside the box! Peter's work is different, it's real and I can see him as a real person within his work.
What did it mean to you as an artist winning the Deadly Art Prize at the 2015 Victorian Indigenous Art Awards and are there any plans to take the cloaks to museums or exhibitions in other countries after the exhibition (until 20th September 2015) at the Art Gallery of Ballarat?
Glenda Nicholls: For me as an artist winning the Deadly Art Prize makes me proud of me, myself and I, but at the same time I acknowledge my peers, my ancestors, my family and all the other artists involved in the art awards. It's not just about me, it's about the different stories being told through craft. I am over the moon knowing that my art has been acknowledged as a craft that was once a tool. I haven't heard of any plans to take the cloaks to museums or exhibitions in other countries but I'm certainly very open to the idea!
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