'Keepsake 1' by Sally Wilson
'Hand Held Memories' 2012
We collect and treasure family memories through photos, letters and other ephemera. These lie in drawers and boxes, stories of heroes and creative endeavours, love and adventure. They provide a thread from the past to the present. My bags hold and display the personal histories of mine and my husband’s families.
Photos, letters and stories are encased in archival plastic and stitched into wool and cotton panelled handbags. Letters are cut into strips and woven together as they passed from the war to home and back. Tags hang from handles with photos and telegrams. Our memories are held in our hand.
'Layers in the Landscape' 2011
The representation of the different impressions we have of the people and places on initial and subsequent visits has always fascinated me. We gain an overall impression of the physical landscape with subtle depth of perception changes each time we return. We bring back photos, trinkets, and memories, all with less substance than the original.
I have used my bags, jewellery, and boxes to show the colours, shapes and flow of the river and landscape of Mildura.
Abstract tapestry panels were worked and then digitally printed on fabric to give a photographic representation. Wooden handles float like leaves above the bags. The digital prints are enriched with contrasting fabric textures peeled back to reveal the layers. Fabrics are further embellished with cording and beading. Linings are recycled and contain their own narrative.
The boxes are to store the memories of our holidays and are lined with pink silk reflecting the region's prized pink salt.
Jewellery pieces jangle with time capsules and cubes containing the ephemera of our experiences.