57 x 57 x 4 cm

Upcycled Textiles

Everything about the Queensland bottle trees, (brachychiton rupestris) is fascinating. they have delightful sprays of flowers which form distinctive seed sods. I am particularly drawn to its iconic bottle shaped truck and markings. Bottle trees stand like matriarchs on the Queensland hills and plains. The oldest started growing 3000 years ago. Providing shelter and food, they stand like sentinels. In the 1800s, women working in English woollen mills were given long thin strips cut off the edge the cloth. When these waste strips were lined up on edge or rolled into coils, then sewn into a thick mat. It’s called Standing wool rug making. Using coils of gold and bright colours, I formed Klimt- inspired rings for the textured trunk. The cloudy evening sky is formed with dyed blankets.