Studiolada

It seems that annually the Biblio inspires me to create maps, this year’s cartographic interpretation incorporates an anatomic vascular twist.

While reading the text, echoes of my late grandfather resonated with me as I scrawled notes throughout the book – for reference refer to Sunbathing - an ode to my Grandfather. My late grandmother’s voice also lingers, her phrase “mi smo krv” – we are blood – suggesting that neither distance, life nor death can ever separate us.

As a neuro-scientific artist this book reached me at a particularly relevant juncture. The volume is prefixed with a content advisory: “This book deals with loss and grief in relation to suicide” I am in the process of making work centred around the interplay of neuropathology and psychopathology part of which includes collating stories and data from individuals experiencing chronic suicidal ideation.

Many of these lived experiences shared with me came with a delightful dash of dark humour, so in the spirit of those who were willing to recount their most vulnerable insights with me, here is a little content warning of my own: “Warning: This artwork should not be used for the purposes of navigation or medical investigation”

Isobel Beech’s Sunbathing offers profound insights, exploring the flip side of the coin - the experiences of those left behind after the suicide of a loved one. It delves into generations, family dynamics, and both formal and informal support structures. The narrative touches on the journey of self-discovery through grief and loss, emphasising that our minds and memories; our bloodlines, accompany us, no matter where we venture.

Not a Keeper are a collection of multilayered cartographic works in acrylic and gilded with 24 karat gold created in response to my residency working from the Nobbys Whibayganba headland Lighthouse for Lighthouse Arts, Awabakal Newcastle.

The Biblio Art Prize invites artists to respond to a book by an Australian Author selected at random by the Blarney Books and Art team. I was thrilled to have been allocated The Burning Island by Jock Serong.

My journey with The Burning Island began while on residency in Canberra where I borrowed the book from the ANU Library, my next stop was Sydney where I purchased a copy and, as a travelling artist, I found myself in a unique position to (attempt) to follow the voyage of The Burning Island's Moonbird.

They left Sydney by sea, and I by plane to Tasmania. We came within a mere 24 km from each other over land, space, time and sea. I left the book being read by another in Tasmania and I purchased the audiobook and ebook to listen to on my journey to New Caledonia where the work was constructed,

The work is an applique cartograph of our paths taken some 220 years apart. Assembled with the fabrics mentioned in the book, it speaks to nostalgia, heartache, deceit, love, loss and an island so close yet so far.