PUGIN’S TRELLIS OF MARRI-KINGIA CREATURES
2017. Ceramic printed glass. 8.4m x 7.4m h.
ARTWORK CELEBRATING LAND’S RICHES
This public artwork Pugin’s Trellis of Marri-Kingia Creatures (Trells [1]) to the glass facade of Byford Secondary College, echoes the geometry and aesthetics of Augustus Pugin’s Trellis wallpaper which was popular in domestic Australian residences in the mid-nineteenth century (Historic Houses Trust, nd.) reflecting a strong colonial perspective that rejected the local reality.
A PLAYFUL PATTERN WITH MEANING
This design substitutes the English floral motifs for insects and creatures of the Marri-Kingia ecology, to contribute to a visual decolonisation, by replacing the colonialist's notion of what was deemed a pleasing aesthetic with the local ecology and celebrating Western Australia’s ecology and rugged reality.
Special thanks to Dr. Noel Nannup OAM, cultural advisor for his support and guidance on this project. Dr. Noel Nannup, respected Aboriginal elder, and ECU’s Elder in Residence was consulted during the creation of these works to ensure the works respected the land’s traditional owners and their cultural property and knowledge.