Jamaica 1696: From One Garden To Another
Group exhibition 'Profile 18' at Australian Design Centre, Sydney, 2018

Informed by her Jamaican heritage, Marcia Swaby’s practice studies the way jewellery and processes articulate unspoken Caribbean histories of peoples long gone. Her ongoing exploration rethinks the literal legacy of the past, to project concepts into present-day issues. Exposing museum collections, often not on public display, she interprets their personas to create an interface for encountering these formerly hidden cultures. This porcelain neckpiece is made from beads that take the shape of her palms as a haptic connection to time. The Latin text from Hans Sloane's 1696 documentation of Jamaican plants reinterprets enigmas to generate conversations and recounting of experiences.

Images

Jamaica 1696: From One Garden To Another, 2018, porcelain, bi-metal, copper, sterling silver, silk, 580 x 70mm