Robyn LEES
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Title: White Feather Flotilla
Medium: ceramic, glass, plastic, salt Dimensions: 100 x 400 cm The ‘White Feather Movement’ was a propaganda campaign during WW1 to shame young men into enlisting in the Army. White feathers (a symbol of cowardice and lack of masculinity) were distributed by women to any man out of uniform who they considered capable of enlisting. The disapproval and disgrace associated with the receipt of a white feather was a powerful intimidation factor in the social manipulation of young men throughout the British Empire. I have used the white feather as my motif and the boat as a metaphor for a journey to a new world. The soldiers sailed from Albany 100 years ago (hence my 100 boats ). Too many made the return journey in muslin shrouds. This “Flotilla” is comprised of clay boats with feathers imprinted into the surface and glass boats with the white feather image fused between the layers. It is assembled on a bed of salt which symbolises the sea. Robyn graduated with an Bachelor of Education in 1985 and a Bachelor of Arts (Visual Arts) in 1990. She has worked full time on her arts practice since graduating, developing an extensive solo and group exhibition portfolio. She is a member of The Butter Factory Studio Cooperative. Working with clay, sculpture, glass, painting and mixed media. |