Humber Galleries is pleased to announce the opening of their exhibition Wagari: Dabiyil, Biram – Vessel: water and sky, on Monday, October 31, 2022. This collaborative large-scale cyanotype textile was created by artists Sonja, Elisa Jane, and Freja Carmichael, and features imagery of handwoven forms, string, and found objects.  

As a family of Quandamooka women, weaving has become their intergenerational expression of saltwater identity and culture. This work represents woven forms that continue knowledge of past generations and the stories and experiences of today. The woven forms include the use of discarded netting and materials that wash ashore on Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island, Australia) after drifting in the ocean. Collecting and weaving with this marine debris helps protect dabiyil as an act of caring for saltwater Country and kin. The collection of woven forms and objects are used to create the cyanotype.  

Their cyanotype process records the shape of woven elements and materials. First, they are placed on a textile surface, then exposed to UV light, and finally washed in water and oxidized. This result creates deep blue imagery with the memory and impression of the objects. The blue cyanotype pigment reflects the rich colour of the Quandamooka seas. The layering of woven forms and found objects onto the cyanotype is thus a metaphoric expression of the stories, experiences, and histories that are embedded within sands, land, water, and sky of Quandamooka country, and are carried in the vessels of Quandamooka weaving.  

The artwork was commissioned as part of Nuit Blanche 2022 with the support of exhibition sponsor, Humber College.