Stromlo Healing

Sometimes an artwork takes a while to reveal itself. This work started nearly a decade ago. While grieving the death of a friend, I took photos of the Mount Stromlo observatory dome. The colours had seeped from the concrete walls of the burnt-out husk.

I made digital patterns, and later, had them printed to silk. I liked what I had made, but I did not understand why. Only in January 2023, 20 years after the fires, survivors told stories of support, courage and camaraderie of fellow Canberrans.

Then I knew: the silks form hugs - ephemeral, light embraces. The patterns give us a scaffold to understand the unfathomable. The colour is a result of the fires. The silk is symbolic of comfort, gentleness and yet enormous strength. It is saying: “Its ok, I’ve got you, everything’s going to be alright.”