Tribe
All hands on deck to sew toxic salmon effigies at the Bob Brown Foundation HQ.
I’ve always wanted to be part of a movement for change. Over the years I’ve joined various groups and used my art, photography and writing to lend my support to a cause I was passionate about.
Taking part in the Art for Takayna residency was the start of a conversion for me. I’d supported social justice movements including the Bob Brown Foundation but to actually join with other artists to make art about an endangered forest was a turning point.
This week I’m in Nipaluna/Hobart helping with the Art for Takayna exhibition. I spent one day helping install the exhibition and on another day I walked up the hill to the Bob Brown Foundation office headquarters where the event and activation planning takes place.
I realised this wasn’t just about the forests. There were many interconnected campaigns taking place simultaneously, all ongoing and urgent as species become more vulnerable to environmental degradation.
On the table were sewing machines for stitching toxic salmon effigies to highlight the disastrous environmental effects of salmon farming. On the floor were giant costumes of the Maughean skate which were being painted. These are an endangered species only found in Macquarie Harbour in Tasmania and are threatened by the impacts of salmon fish farming.
On the walls were pictures of forest defenders up on tree sits and racks of Protect Native Forests T-shirts. Volunteers come from near and far to take part in activations, events and environmental rallies. When I sat at a sewing machine hemming the Maughean skate costumes, I felt part of a tribe of fellow thinkers, people who worked towards a common goal.
It was like taking part in theatre productions when I lived in Victoria. Everyone had a role to play and through common purpose, developed a strong bonding with each other. Participating in the Art for Takayna forest residency and exhibition has been the closest I’ve felt to being part of a ‘tribe’ since I left Victoria.
I think of tribes as diverse organisms, growing and expanding to meet the needs of its people. It becomes stronger by growing the skills and confidence of those within, until it is not just a group of individuals but a force unto itself, an organisation that continues to evolve into its own entity.
On the opening night of the exhibition, Bob Brown gave another of his inspiring speeches. He thanked the artists who took part in the exhibition “ for giving back to the environment” and that our collective job is to motivate the other 80% of the population into caring for the environment as well.
I thought of the statistics, that I am part of a 20% tribe doing our best to motivate others to care for this wonderful planet we all inhabit. I know that from small movements come big changes. Bring it on!
Volunteering on the exhibition team on opening night in front of some of my artworks.
