Artery of The Empress, René Bahloo
Ok, so by now you might (or might not) have an inkling that I come from a fine art background. Yep, I studied fine art photography, sculpture, ceramics, drawing, printmaking, painting, creative writing – anything arty (or artery) I could get my fingers into. I loved mixing it up – sculptural photography, artists books, painted drawings, clay and metal paintings, worded sculptures… you get the gist. I progressed to my doctorate where I planned and researched the birthing of what I called a ‘synergetic novel’, the mixture between a written novel, a philosophical discussion and a series of artworks-in-a-book. The narrative was to be driven initially by the written word, slowly morphing into a series of pictures, then completed solely by the pictures themselves. The story would speak of a white woman traveling through Indigenous Australia, the learning journeys of life, creation and initiation into motherhood. All woven together through the metaphors of water, natural processes and weaving… Just a little bit zen.
BUT THEN….
The universe took my fate into her own hands AND…
I realised I was pregnant. Oops. OMG, what now?
A month of stewing over the meaning of this occurrence and trying to integrate it into my life, brought me to my most brilliant AHA moment:
Three words: Embodied Experiential Research. Of course! The internal process of my doctoratal research was best expressed as an outward, lived experience. Shared experience. Nine months later, two words: Kether Padme, meaning “Lotus at the summit of heaven”. Princess.
And Weavery was born.
But artery lives on! Never left behind, but content to sit in the sidelines till the time came to emerge. Till the time came that I realised that artery and weavery and LIFERY were the SAME THING!!! Culminating in my award-winning quote (it won me a ticket to Andy warhol exhibition) “A masterpiece is LIFE lived as ART”…
So! What has life and art and weaving in store for me? Or I in store for it, rather? Pieces of woven wisdom created specifically for galleries, exhibitions, collaborations. Environmental art installations for community benefit. More RADF grant applications, and then on to Australia Council! Onwards upwards! Then to organising an event for the healing arts! Then more collaborations, connections, and then… intercultural connections facilitated by Weavery, bringing women from Indigenous and mainstream culture together to develop healing relationships of ongoing mutual benefit.
Just wait, and all will be revealed… when it happens.
And it will be a masterpiece!
