From shell work to shell art: Koori women creating knowledge and value on the South Coast of NSW

From shell work to shell art: Koori women creating knowledge and value on the South Coast of NSW: By Daphne Nash

Esme Timbery, Harbour Bridge, 2006, shell, fabric and cardboard. 30x15x7cm. A similar work to her prize winning artwork of the same name. Photo Daphne Nash. craft+design enquiry journal

Daphne Nash completed her PhD in Interdisciplinary Cross-cultural Research at the Research School of Humanities, Australian National University in 2009. Her thesis is entitled ‘Transforming knowledge: Indigenous Knowledge and culture workers on the south coast of NSW’. Daphne has also worked as a teacher and more recently as a research consultant on educational resources relating to Indigenous cultural heritage.

Abstract: For many years the shell art of Aboriginal women on the South Coast of New South Wales has been an icon of Aboriginal people’s survival in that region. It is on the record since the 1880s that Koori women have made shell work objects to sell to tourists. This practice is undergoing a revival, and recognition of shell art is increasing particularly through the making of Sydney Harbour Bridges and miniature shoes. As the art work of Indigenous people, shell art is increasingly entering into the art market. When its cultural connections are understood, shell art is no longer dismissed as “tourist art”. What forces are operating and how does shell art mean? Read complete paper

Abstract from From shell work to shell art: Koori women creating knowledge and value on the South Coast of NSW  By Daphne Nash

Full paper published in craft + design enquiry; Issue 2, 2010 Cross cultural exchanges in craft and design