Artist Statement
'Sunrise, Goodnight', represents the landscape as viewed from my window during long months of lockdown. My neighbourhood is home to tens of thousands of Grey-headed Flying Foxes. Human activities and suburban sprawl have displaced them from their natural habitats. At dusk they fill the sky, screeching as they pass over our rooftops. As the sun rises and the light spills over the houses, the bats settle into the trees to rest in the gum trees. Their home is also mine. They slumber as we go about our daily routines, forgotten until they rise again at days end. As a Murriwarri woman who is a guest on Dharawal Country, I understand and respect this place, the animals in it, and its natural rhythms. I find rest and solace during these difficult times by observing the natural world that is ever-present within my suburban backyard. The drastic changes brought about by Covid-19 meant that my 20 year career as a professional dancer came to a stand still in 2020. I longed for the stage, I missed the glitter and shine, the audiences, the music and the creative practice of costume making. Boxes full of crystals and beads, left untouched until I began to redirect my love of the stage into my arts practice - the beaded elements of the work are woven into the canvas. The glittering crystals echo the red sunlight of the morning; now stitched into my artworks instead of my costumes.
