Fences and walls have been used throughout history in the attempt to control flora and fauna, the movement of people, and to divide and protect.
My piece depicts Australia’s significant fences – the Rabbit Proof Fence and the Dingo Fence – along with, less visibly, our state and territory borders.
RABBIT PROOF FENCE
The Rabbit Proof Fence dates back to 1901 and was erected by early settlers to control the introduced invasive rabbit. It was largely ineffective hence, added to over the years. More can be read about it here.
https://www.amusingplanet.com/2016/04/the-rabbit-proof-fence-of-australia.html
Somewhat ironically, the Fence proved to be a lifeline to three young Aboriginal girls as they used it to guide themselves home after being torn away from their families by the colonial government authorities. If you haven’t seen the movie Rabbit Proof Fence, I highly recommend that you do.
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rabbitproof_fence
The fence is still standing and has value to pastoralists protecting their crops and livestock from a range of animals - native and introduced.
THE DINGO PROOF FENCE
This is the longest fence in the world at 5,614 kilometres (3,488 miles), finished in 1885 and designed to protect sheep stock. Satellite pictures have shown that removing the dingo from the environment is actually having a negative impact on the eco system. More information on the history of the fence and its ecological impact can be found on these links.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dingo_Fence
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-26/dingo-fence-seen-from-space/13192832
STATE AND
TERRITORY BORDERS
We have 6 states and 2 territories. I machine sewed the borders to make them less obvious as they are, after all, not physical borders. However, we have seen so clearly over the past year with COVID-19 that they are indeed walls or fences, call them what you will, that can be made legally impenetrable when necessary.
THE PROCESS
The piece is made up of used teabags, dried, and emptied, stuffed with a square of batting then machine
pieced.
I then used
the drawing I made of Australia as a stencil. I lay it on the teabags and used
two water colour blues for the ocean. I added a bit of rust water colour paint
to a few of the teabags that were a little too pale for the amazing outback.
I machine
stitched the state and territory borders and hand stitched the fences. Here are
a few photos of the process.
Thank you for this fascinating information on Australian fences . I had never heard of them nor have relatives who live in Aus. ever mentioned them. If they don't know about them I am sure they will be most interested,as I am . I have used tea bags in quilt construction before and they give a wonderfully different texture from our usual cotton fabric . Well done for this amazing piece Amanda showing us all some history which some of us won't have known about previously.
ReplyDeleteThanks Rosemary. I had heard about the Rabbit Proof Fence as a result of the movie but didn't know about the Dingo Fence until I started thinking about this piece. Funny what knowledge comes to you and when during your life.
DeleteI too knew nothing about these fences, and having spent a few months in NZ seeing the effect of introduced species I can understand the reasoning between the Rabbit Fence. I've always wondered about using teabags in a piece, but never quite managed it. Perhaps one day! Thanks for the insights into making this piece, it made it all the more fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI am pleased you enjoyed reading something about the fences. The latest problem is a mice plagued further south in NSW. Then there are the cane toads in the north and the brumbies in the highlands, the buffalos in the Northern Territory and the camels through the desert. Quite a mess!!!
DeleteI'd heard of the rabbit proof fence, but knew nothing about it, apart from the fact that it was supposed to keep out rabbits. I love the quilt and the colours. I've never used teabags, though I've some teabag paper that I am meaning to experiment with.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't seen teabags used in fabric art but saw some stunning paintings on teabags online so I started collecting them with the idea I would do a painting a day. That never happened but I did end up with Australia over a period of time.
DeleteWhat a thoughtful piece. I can also recommend the film Alison mentioned. I watched it by chance and was drawn in by the photography initially but the story is a powerful one, simply told.
ReplyDeleteThe same can be said of this piece. You don't say why you used teabags but they're very effective.
Hi Linda, I see that my response to you just looks like another comment. Anyway, thought I would point it out in case you missed it. You referred to me as Alison which is funny as I have a friend who calls me Alison by mistake from time to time and did yesterday which gives us a bit of a laugh!
DeleteI saw your comment, and the name mistake, on my e-mail feed, and immediately assumed it was I who had got your name wrong as I have quite a reputation for forgetting names. Quite relieved to know someone else makes the same mistakes. Thanks Linda B.
DeleteThanks, Linda. I was planning to do a more conventional garden fence piece but I was collecting tea bags for no particular project and began to think how much they looked like the outback and, well, the idea grew from there.
ReplyDeleteThe tea bags have proved to be the perfect medium to create your piece. You have worked them so well. Love the stories behind the fences.
ReplyDeleteThanks Phil. Pleased you liked the stories behind the fences.
DeleteHow clever you are to have used teabags to get to where you wanted to go. I love your piece and found it so interesting as to the fences that have been erected over time and how it has affected the eco-system. You have put this piece together so beautifully and I personally have learnt so much from it. It must have taken you ages to put it altogether but well done on your piece of work.
ReplyDeleteThanks Patricia. Funnily enough, it didn't take too long. Teabags turned out to be more robust than I imagined which helped! Yes, I was interested in how the Dingo Fence has impacted on the eco-system too.
DeleteThat's probably because the majority of tea bags contain plastic. This is slowly changing as more brands change to eco-friendly composition. Ever emptied your lovely home-made compost and found all those teabags again?! H
DeleteI stopped putting them in our compost when I found out about the plastic
DeleteYes, that could be the reason. I was staggered to find out that they contained plastic - even some that purport to be ticking other important enviro and/or health benefits still see fit to use plastic!
DeleteI've switched to making tea from loose leaves - better taste and no annoying little bags in the compost. All it took was finding the right teapot.
DeleteI am full of admiration of how you have worked with the teabags. The sea is gorgeous and the stained teabags made for the job! Funny how suddenly the perfect piece for all those teabags dropped in your lap. Special piece.
ReplyDeleteThanks for 'educating' us about the rabbit and dingo fences. Phil and I watch live footage of safaris in SA often and I have become aware of how important it is not to upset the delicate eco balance. Take out a keystone member of the system and something else will take it's place and in no time you have another problem...
Hilary
Thanks Hilary. I love the sea too. The teabags were great - I used water colours but they didn't bleed too much. Perhaps the wadding played a part it controlling the flow.
DeleteI love the use of the teabags for the outback. They really provide great colour and texture. And your sea colour is terrific too. We lived in Sydney for 3 years and I had never heard of rabbit or dingo fences. Very interesting! Hard to imagine successfully keeping rabbits out!
ReplyDeleteHi Dianne, I suppose it is the same for any big country but there is so so so much we in Australia don't know about the rest of Australia. Especially if you live on the East Coast. I found out how very little I knew when I left the east coast and went and lived in remote Aboriginal communities in the central desert region. What an education!!!
DeleteThat's brilliant! Use used teabags to make your creations!
ReplyDeleteThanks Momoko!
DeleteWonderful piece and a great use of teabags, just the right colour and texture. The constitution explanation and pictures gives a very useful insight.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mai-Britt. Yes, they were for sure the right colour and texture.
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