'River Costume',

textile, fabric paint, stitching,

174 x 156 x 40 cm, 2024

This costume evokes the River. Resembling a vestment robe it speaks of the significance of the river as an essential and finite resource highlighting environmental concerns. The river as a source of fertility, a pivotal force with its cyclical nature of renewal and destruction, where water politics mark our consciousness.

With a painterly approach constructed and collaged up-cycled textiles, fabric paints and the use of hand stitching to resemble the drawn mark, becomes an abstracted essence of the river. An intersection between art and costume, suggestive of theatrical traditions, it signifies the power of dress to denote the symbolic.

The Northern Beaches Environmental Art & Design Award is on at Manly Art Gallery & Museum (art) and Curl Curl Creative Space (design) from 1 August - 14 September, 2025