Rematriation, 2022
Welsh Slate, UV Pigment, PVA glue.
Interspecies and other others, Abbotsford Convent, VIC
Image courtesy of Abbotsford Convent, photo by Mick Richards.
Rematriation
This sculptural installation repurposes roof slate salvaged from the restoration of the Sacred Heart building at Abbotsford Convent. Originally chiseled from a Welsh quarry, the use of this remnant slate continues the artist’s interrogation of mining practices that violently extract materials from the environment. Through this ongoing inquiry, Cope draws attention to the impact of mining on native wildlife and Indigenous communities.
Reflecting on her own Australian First Nations and Welsh heritage, Cope also addresses the loss and reclamation of language, and the role that language plays in the formation and expression of cultural identity. This has been achieved through the application of hand-written texts in Woi wurrung, Welsh and English, using a phosphorescent mineral that is only visible after dark.
Cope consulted with Wurundjeri Elders about the content and translation of the text, which is a statement of protection and safety on Wurundjeri Country. She also worked with the Elders to ensure the installation of the work follows the protocol for welcoming the discarded slate to earth on Wurundjeri Country (Mercator Lawn, the Abbotsford Convent).
PRESS
https://abbotsfordconvent.com.au/event/megan-cope/
This video explores the journey of Welsh slate used in Megan Cope’s sculptural installation, Rematriation (2022). The slate was cut by master stonemasons in North Wales, and then transported by packhorse, riverboats and trade ships to Naarm in the 1800s. The tiles used for Rematriation are left over from the restoration works on Abbotsford Convent’s Sacred Heart building.
Gwlad to Biik means “Country to Country” in the two languages.
Gwlad is Welsh. Biik is Woi Wurrung.
Interspecies and Other Others Film
Award-winning filmmaker, Sarah-Jane Woulahan has created a series of online films, which respond to and enrich the artistic and curatorial concepts explored within Interspecies and Other Others. Learn more here.
Interspecies and other others.
26 August to 2 October 2022
Abbotsford Convent, VIC
Curated by Kelli Alred, this after dark exhibition explores the human condition, history and habitat. Alongside newly commissioned works from some of Australia’s leading contemporary artists including Abdul Abdullah, Megan Cope, Atlanta Eke and Lyndal Jones, you are encouraged to explore and engage with precinct-specific adaptations of existing work, video art screenings, performances and participatory events by an array of contemporary artists.
World premiere, Interspecies and Other Others will transform the gardens and architecture of national heritage-listed Abbotsford Convent through a dynamic, free program of video and sound art, sculpture, installation and performance for the first time in its history.
Curator statement
“This exhibition is about relationships. It is about our connectedness and the wondrous, tumultuous complexity of our coexistence.” Kelli Alred
Interspecies and Other Others investigates the human condition, history and habitat through the presentation of artistic works exploring mythological tales, mystical figures and liminal forms. The exhibition proposes a set of alternate imaginaries that consider the entanglement of human beings, other species and our environment. It also asks a set of fundamental questions about how the speculative and often contradictory self builds fluid, non-binary relationships with the other.
The participating artists interrogate human-to-human, as well as human to animal and plant interactions to probe broader environmental and socio-political concerns. Examining how cultural constructs such as language and media influence perception, behaviour and social identity, the artists shed light on how the deconstruction and decolonisation of those constructs may bring new models of reciprocity and accountability to the fore.
Collectively, the artworks introduce a set of uncanny, future pasts by layering the real, hyper-real, fantastic and fake. They disrupt the linear conception of time imposed by colonialism and give voice to Indigenous notions of Country and custodianship. The artworks also explore notions of place and experiences of displacement, referencing instances of racial and gender-based oppression to perform vital acts of reclamation and resistance.