All year we’ve been working on what it takes to respond to the pandemic ambitiously, courageously, and with care – to create our future.
Earlier this year I started the hashtag #CreateAustraliasFuture as a focus for some of NAVA’s advocacy, and the response has been extraordinary. So much great thinking. So much action. Track back on Instagram – it’s really something. And so, for many weeks and months, I’ve been astounded that so much work has been created in response – something I could never have imagined!
This is a piece by Sarah crowEST which I’ve just received in the post (she made it some time ago, but it took the scenic route, and I like to think it’s had an adventurous time getting here). It’s bold – it’s its own manifesto, really – and also, it’s familiar… It’s part of life. As every good manifesto should be.
A hallmark of Sarah’s work is the use of materials that are durable but also familiar. There’s a focus on systems of signification – text and symbols, pockets and handles, the legible and the tactile ways that we create meaning.
Sarah encourages us to use her work as everyday cloth to be used and worn down, and then mended across a lifetime by her skilful hand.
That’s a remarkable generosity, but also, it’s exactly the approach that’s needed to craft our future with care.
Sarah: thank you. So very much. You’ve just raised the bar.
IMAGES: Sarah crowEST, Create Australia’s Future (2020). Photography by Esther Anatolitis.
ESTHER ANATOLITIS 