Born in the UK: Quarterly review

Its been two weeks since my last post - the longest gap so far - and it feels like I have sinned!* 

Today I want to share some of my artwork, from an exhibition at the Mater, of staff artwork, with the theme: 'Cultural me, cultural you', which opened on Harmony Day (21st March), and also to start reviewing the last three months, as it is the time of year for the first quarterly review, (and everyone at work is trying to get their clinical stats up to date).

'POM: Born in the UK: 100% Australian'.

The phrase ‘Born in the UK: 100% Australian’ has personal resonance for me. It was a slogan on a poster at Australia House, first seen when I was applying for my Australian residency in 1989,  when Springsteen's ironic rock anthem 'Born in the USA' was a more recent memory. I discovered the POM bottles in the supermarket, drank the pomegranate juice (for the antioxidants), filled them with North Stradbroke Island sand, and added the slogans. 

[NB. My older son and cultural critic extraordinaire, has drawn my attention to the populist appropriation of an element of the Australian flag, namely the Southern Cross, as a nationalistic emblem, often accompanied by anti-migrant or anti-refugee statements, commonly seen on the backsides of utes. So I was horrified to see the slogan '100% Australian' adorning one of these Southern Cross stickers, on the back of a ute, whilst stuck in traffic yesterday. My immediate thought: 'What if someone misinterprets this piece (above) and thinks I am a nationalistic, ute-driving, racist, Anglophile?' Well, we are living in a post-modern world, and I'm not. But I do admit to occasionally drive a ute - very handy for moving big stuff.]

'Open Book: Life story in 16 steps'

This piece can be read (literally like a book, from left to right, and from top to bottom row) as a timeline, which documents various significant places in my life, from my birth to the present.

Each of the sixteen sections represents a particular place, either where I lived, or which was significant for another reason (i.e. Zurich is not only the home of Jung, who was an early influence on art therapy, and a major influence on my art therapist dad, but also of an au-pair, Heidi, who looked after me and my brothers, when we were going through a turbulent time in our childhood).

The open book charts my childhood in Devon, travelling to New Zealand in my gap year, and then to university for three years in Colchester. This was followed by ten years in London, and my arrival in Australia in 1989. I noticed that the ten-year period in London was the most intense and most full of change, with various different locations, art therapy training, a variety of jobs and other more personal experiences, such as meeting my partner, buying a home in Brixton, and giving birth to our first child at home.

I have also included the Mater Hospital (Brisbane) as a significant place, for numerous reasons, such as: employing me in my first 'real' art therapy position (with art therapy in the title) at the Child and Youth Mental Health Service (CYMHS) Inpatient Unit, supporting the development of art therapy training on the University of Queensland's Masters of Mental Health, and supporting my development as an artist.

To make this piece, I sewed the collaged and painted cardboard sections together with linen thread, as if I was binding a book, and attached them to a wooden dowel. They remind me of a suit of armour, for some reason.

'Flying Kangaroos: an exploration of T-shirt kitsch'.

This piece was inspired by the British working class (think Coronation Street) tradition of decorating the lounge wall with three ceramic flying ducks. I combined this idea with the equally kitsch Australian icon of the flying kangaroo, popularised by QANTAS. The kangaroo is clearly understood worldwide as a symbol of Australia.

The background for the collaged fabric kangaroos is a T-shirt with a slightly punky Union Jack (UK flag) print: another iconic image. As a British person, the Union Jack is not something I would normally have a positive relationship with, in fact I would not choose to display this image (or wear the T-shirt in public) without the ironic addition of the kangaroos, as for me it has unpleasant associations with far right politics, patriotism and colonialism. However, since the Union Jack was appropriated by the punk rock movement, (God save the Queen, Never mind the Bollocks – here’s the Sex Pistols) which was alive and kicking when I was a teenager, it has had a more ambiguous and potentially subversive meaning.

The juxtaposition of these two slightly kitsch iconic images of the kangaroos and the Union Jack is intended to make an irreverent statement about national pride, style and identity. Or it could just be seen as a fun image that makes me smile.

Materials: T-shirt, fabric collage.

So much for the quarterly review. I have one thing though: Environmental Audit.

We finally had our Climate Smart audit last week, after two cancellations (by them). This involves a visit from an electrician, who makes an assessment of your home and its ecological efficiency, and suggests changes. They also bring free supplies of energy efficient light 'bulbs', even if you already use them (we do), and a gauge which tells how much power is being consumed at any moment.

The only thing he suggested (and implemented) was to fit a water-friendly rose in the new shower-head downstairs, (I'm glad the visit served a purpose). Added bonus: now the shower no longer squeals when operating late at night. Everything else was already as energy efficient as it could possibly be. When he understood that we usually have negative power bills, due to our solar panels, which generate more power than we consume, he muttered darkly that 'the electricity company would not like us'...with all this negative talk about a carbon tax at the moment, he could have expressed a more enlightened view, given his job!!

The best thing was, that I found the $50 voucher in a pile of old bills, which meant that the Climate Smart visit was free. Even though the woman I booked it with told me they were no longer valid.

*I feel better now. 

more later.