EMUS
PORT ADELAIDE
AUSTRALIA.
These two emus were created as part of Tarnanthi during the Tainga Marine and Land Debris Art Project, a textile and sculpture workshop facilitated by Port Adelaide Enfield Council and held in Port Adelaide over three weeks in November 2021. Under the tutelage and guidance of Sue Ryan, Pam Diment and Sherrie Jones the artists introduced First Nations artists Sonya Rankin, Vicki Hartman, Pat Ingram and Phyllis Williams to marine debris as a medium for sculpture and weaving. The artists worked collaboratively with community to make these sculptures from discarded fishing nets and ropes. The process began by making the framework for kardi, the male emu and multarra, the female hen. Nets and ropes were then shredded into fibres from which the feathers and distinctive features were made. Repurposing the discarded nets and ropes is a way to raise awareness about the environmental and ecological damage that is occurring in our oceans due to the nets being cut free from fishing vessels and left to drift in the sea, hence the name ghost net. The artists have worked on major national projects and commissions with their sculptures held in institutions in Australia as well as internationally.
Pics: Pam Diment
