The Quiet Revolution series considers the transformative potential of creativity and collectivity.
How do we stand up against violence and oppression through the act of making?
Through action I find agency and purpose, working through feelings of being powerless or hopeless. Using our hands and minds as creative practitioners we actively show strength and solidarity and share a fundamental sense of humanity, facilitating connection.
These works are offered as catalysts. You the wearer animate and activate the work using your physicality in collaboration with your environment. The work then goes beyond any intention imbued by the individual to be an evolving, social mode of communication.
We tell stories through symbols, some recognised the world over. Graceful linearity follow the curves of the hand, suggestive of a speech bubble or the spiralling koru unfolding, signifying new life, hope for the future and renewal. A circle can be the first way we draw the sun, in Aboriginal art a circle or concentric circles can represent places that people come together. The fishnet pattern worn on Keffiyeh scarves has come to express Palestinian solidarity, originating from the connection between Palestinian fishermen and the sea, embodying abundance and grace.
As I write this, every 10 minutes in Gaza another child is killed. We are bearing witness to a genocide and the massive public outcry is yet unheeded by our Western governments. At home in Aotearoa, the newly elected coalition government’s Treaty Principles Bill seeks to undermine Māori rights as tangata whenua, prioritising individualism over collectivity. Last year’s referendum to give First Nations people a voice in Federal parliament was voted with a majority against in all six of Australia’s states.
These works provide space to explore the contradictions of living in post-colonial nations as we strive to acknowledge, empower and embrace the wisdom and culture of indigenous people and minority groups within the oscillations of our governing bodies. Navigating disappointment in our political systems to uphold justice and basic humanitarian values both at home and on a global scale; issues of power, violence, silence and inaction can only be balanced by building strong communities based on solidarity, collectivity and real-time action.
A Quiet Revolution begins internally, challenging deeply embedded prejudices and disconnection, evolving externally to embrace diversity and recognise the power and beauty of interconnection.
We hold the power in our hands.
