ARTSongs: The Soul Beneath My Skin Author Croft, Pamela Joy Published 2003 Thesis Type Thesis (Professional Doctorate) School Queensland College of Art DOI https://doi.org/10.25904/1912/2049 Copyright Statement The author owns the copyright in this thesis, unless stated otherwise. Downloaded from http://hdl.handle.net/10072/367423 Griffith Research Online https://research-repository.griffith.edu.au ARTsong: the soul beneath my skin Pamela Joy Croft Bachelor of Arts (Fine Art) Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the award of Doctor of Visual Art Queensland College of Art Griffith University Brisbane, Queensland February, 2003 1 DEDICATION Let our voices be heard for our future generations, For the justice of all Aboriginal people. The time has come for family members to be united in unison and heal together. I cannot heal alone, The time has come for us all to be in harmony, To set our loved one’s spirits free, from places that our family member’s lives had come to an end. I dedicate [this doctoral project] to the family members in remembrance of all our late loved ones whose lives came to an end in death in custody, and to the families who had suffered the pains of grief and hurt, Of these terrible fatal traumas that we had to accept throughout the years of our lives, Now being together in unison, To heal together. Daisy Rankine, Ngarrindjeri Aboriginal Elder of Meningie. The visual narratives and this exegesis could not have occurred without the love, support and motivation of my family. They continue to inspire me. 2 ABSTRACT This exegesis frames my studio thesis, which explores whether visual art can be a site for reconciliation, a tool for healing, an educational experience and a political act. It details how my art work evolved as a series of cycles and stages, as a systematic engagement with people, involving them in a process of investigating ‘their’ own realities - both the stories of their inner worlds and the community story framework of their outer conditions. It reveals how for my ongoing work as an indigenous artist, I became the learner and the teacher, the subject and the object. Of central importance for my exploration was the concept and methodology of bothways. As a social process, bothways action-learning methodology was found to incorporate the needs, motivations and cultural values of the learner through negotiated learning. Discussion of bothways methodology and disciplinary context demonstrated the relationships, connections and disjunctions shared by both Aboriginal and Western domains and informed the processes and techniques to position visual art as an educational experience and a tool for healing. From this emerged a range of ARTsongs - installations which reveal possible new alternatives sites for reconciliation, spaces and frames of reference to ‘open our minds, heart and spirit so we can know beyond the boundaries of what is acceptable, so that we can think and rethink, so that we can create new visions, transgressions - a movement against and beyond boundaries ’ (hooks, 1994 p.12). Central to studio production was bricolage as an artistic strategy and my commitment to praxis - to weaving together my art practice with hands-on political action and direct involvement with my communities. I refer to this as the trial and feedback process or SIDEtracks. These were documented acts of personal empowerment, which led to a more activist role in the political struggle of reconciliation. I conclude that, as aboriginal people, we can provide a leadership role, and in so doing, we can demonstrate to the wider community how to move beyond a state of apathy. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Part ONE A Description of the Research Project Hypothesis project scope overview of artistic practice: conceptual contexts: identity and landscape creating cultural texts as maps of identity and landscape-bothways artistic practice thematic installations spaces dimensions TABLES: 1997/ 2002 Parameters, significance and limitations of the research project parameters why it is of significance limitations Part TWO Bothways methodology or theory and artistic practice Strategies, processes and techniques Disciplinary Context Visual art as an educational experience and as a tool for healing Visual art as an educational experience processes and techniques Visual art as a healing tool Part THREE Visual art as a site for reconciliation Conceptual Contexts: landscape and identity creating cultural texts as maps of identity and landscape design elements, processes and techniques installation sites -space as narrative landscape significance of objects Artistic processes and techniques Part FOUR Visual art as a political act a ARTsong 1 reclaiming my responsibility for my life journey 1995-1997) b ARTsong 2 opening my mind and heart 1998-2000) c ARTsong 3 the recovery process (2001-2003) discussion of installations and works Part FIVE Reflections The outcomes of the Trial and Feedback Process Bibliography List of APPENDICES Appendix 1 Council of Aboriginal Reconciliation National Projects. Appendix 2 Jukurrpa Model Appendix 3 A Fundamentalist World View As Remembered Experience. Appendix 4 No more secrets Exhibition Catalogue (ARTsong 2). Appendix 5 Land home place belong Exhibition Catalogue (ARTsong 1). Appendix 6 Cultural Community Development Model. [A circular framework for community work which emphasises the interconnectedness of the various ideas represented, and the importance of 4 a holistic perspective. (Ife 1995 p.250)]. List of IMAGES All images are on the accompanying CD-ROM in folders 1 – 5. Folder 1 contains images of works cited in Part One. Folder 2 contains images of works cited in Part Two. Folder 3 contains images of the works cited in Part Three and folders for each ARTsong. 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to give honour to the Darumbal dreaming ancestors and acknowledge the Darumbal people as the Traditional owners of the Capricorn Coast - Darumbal country; Woppaburra waters: the site which is my home and studio where the majority of the production for this doctoral project occurred. I am a descendant of the Kooma clan, the Uralarai First Nations people, South-west Queensland. I give honour to my ancestral grandmothers who guided my doctoral journey to reclaiming my ancestral identity, dreaming and country: my belonging place. I wrote this exegesis and created the body of visual narratives, as a peaceful warrior, to honour my generations of family now and who are to come. I would like to acknowledge the gift of love, the honour of trust and pride, and unfading encouragment, from my sons, and my partner. In particular, my partners continued support, patience in listening, understanding and healing gifted to me throughout this postgraduate journey. It is also important to acknowledge the strength and courage shown by my sister-cousin, Cheryl (moodai) Robinson in connecting with family. Her efforts in linking-up with me and others and sharing her research provided the impetous for me and others to continue moving forward our identity search. Her honesty, openness of heart, trust, love, and focused determination often gave me the will and courage to confront that which Iwould normally have left unravelled. The significance of our relationship can be read within the texts of the collaborative visual narratives where we shared our story publicly in No more secrets. I would like to acknowledge and thank my supervisors, Keith Bradbury, Jay Younger, Anna Haebick and Bronwyn Fredericks. Your guidance, friendship, and listening with open minds and spirits was very much appreciated. I would like to especially mention Keith Bradbury whose enthusiasm carried me over the finishing goalpost and to my cultural supervisor and 'sista,' Bronwyn Fredericks whose friendship, shared dialogue and experiences, helped me unravel my thoughts 6 along the postgraduate journey. I cherish your poetic articulation of the hidden meanings and connections within my visual narratives, thank you. I would also like to acknowledge and thank the many Australians, extended family members, friends, community members, colleagues, peers, artsworkers, educators, lobbyists and political activists, whose pathways have criss-crossed mine, sometimes fleetingly, sometimes longer. Without their encouraging words, friendhip, and times of sharing, my life's journey would not have been possible, challenging or as exciting an experience. I must also acknowledge and thank my dear friend, Dr. Meredith Murray for her continued committment to supporting my doctoral completion. Without your generosity, encouragement, motivation, and guidance I would not have been able to complete. Thank you, also to my friend Danielle Kelly for her expertise and support with Information Technology. Lastly, I acknowledge my dear friend and brother, Ron Hurley, Gurang Gurang elder and visual artist, for his inspiration, humor and encouragement in completing this doctoral study. This doctoral project was achieved through the efforts of so many friends. I thank you all for the encouragement and love gifted to me. I have learned the joy of family love, to celebrate and to accept the validity of my heritage:the co-existance of the Indigenous and the colonisor. I am inspired to find solutions to my family's 'placement', where my future generations will be proud to know who they are and to claim their ancestral birthright. © Copyright of artwork and text remains with the artist 7 DECLARATION I, Pamela Croft, declare that this work has not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university. To the best of my knowledge and belief, the paper contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the paper itself. ........................................................ Pamela Joy Croft 8 PART ONE Description of the Research Project Reconciliation: to make friendly again after an estrangement', ‘to make acquiescent or contentedly submissive to', ‘to settle',‘ to harmonise and make compatible', 'to show compatibility of, by argument or in practice (Oxford 1990 p.1003). The hypothesis explored in this project is that visual art can be a site for reconciliation, a tool for healing, an educational experience and a political act.