Winter Wilding

Taking Flight

MODEL Isla Perryman

ARTIST STATEMENT This piece was inspired by witnessing the departure of almost 5 million people from the Ukraine in a matter of days. According to Amnesty International there are 26 million people migrating across international borders seeking safety around the world; people forced to flee from their homes to escape conflict, violence, persecution and food and resource scarcity. The expectation is that this crisis will continue to escalate in the context of the climate emergency. In response, this garment; constructed of over 300 crocheted feathers, references the colours of the flags from every nation and territory of the world and hopes to elicit an understanding that as humans we are collectively under threat, much like the migratory birds, whose wetlands and natural habitats are dwindling. Like them, we are facing an existential crisis, with one key difference; this is one of our own making. This piece encourages us to resist being drawn into nationalism when we are facing threats, and instead consider ourselves as global citizens, with the hope that if we do so, collectively we might begin to develop some real solutions.

MATERIALS/TECHNIQUES Upcycled jacket + 100% Australian Wool. All items constructed using crochet techniques with some braiding; feathers individually hand-stitched onto jacket