LONGING FOR HOME

The Odyssey, consists in a series of textile workshops, from October to November 2019, free for the community. The series of workshops, engaging with more than 45 women, take place at Clayton Community Centre, Cheltenham Community Hall, Mount Waverley Community Centre and Westall Hub. These workshops aim to connect first and second generations of immigrant women to tease out the emotionally charged meaning of ‘home’. These workshops have been made possible thanks to the support of VIRWC, the City of Kingston and the City of Monash.

I have immigrated to Australia ten years ago, and since, have observed that many women emigrants like me have been longing for their ‘home’. These sessions will creatively question what home means when you have lived away from your country of birth and often family, for so many years. The creative process will be recorded and shown during the Women Festival in October with the support of VIRWC. 

By the end of the workshops, in late November, the textile pieces produced by each participant will be assembled according to a pre-established pattern to form a 3m diameter dress. I will wear this textile piece during the development of a performance for my 3 weeks residency in December, with Fallscreek Artist in Residence Program.

Below are the testimony of each group involved in Longing for Home

Born in France, Sofie Dieu’s first encounter with art was through church. With a penchant for ritual and spirituality, the artist is best known for her fragile, sombre, and sometimes violent ink paintings and textile works.

 

Poetic and humanist, her practice draws on her journeys to China and Australia. She explores how identity and memory fluctuate according to their immediate environment. Landscapes, people, secrecy, healing, and the dichotomy between light and darkness are some of her recurring themes.

  

Multi-art prizes and award finalist, her work was included in the Sydney North Art Prize, Waterhouse Natural Science prize and the Contemporary Art Award amongst others. In 2016, she worked on the Camperdown Cemetery installation for Sydney Biennale. In 2017, her work will be shown during Vivid and Mental Health Month in Sydney.