Historical letters inspiration for exhibition

An exhibition containing photographs, charcoal drawings, furniture and items collected and created over the last four years by University of Southern Queensland (USQ) PhD student Valerie Keenan opens today at the USQ Art Gallery.

a CURIOUS Cabinet: a visual response to the letters of William Henry (1876-1907) was inspired by letters written by Valerie's great uncle William Henry more than 100 years ago.

In an effort to recreate a sense of William, and the society in which he lived, Valerie has spent the last four years researching, travelling, meeting people and collecting items and photographs from places mentioned in the letters.

Saddle blankets, teapots, furniture, knife steels, and even pianola roles make up the exhibition, each with a separate story and connection to William's letters and Valerie's journey.

'The more people I spoke to the more I thought this was a nice way of bringing his memory back,' Valerie said.

'I have drawn on communication, history, memory, culture and contemporary society to metaphorically gather the string ends together to present an exhibition that combines several series of artworks.'

The digital images of creeks and rivers use water to reference historical elements of the exhibition.

'I have used the series of water images as a metaphor for history. History is not always obvious, and you can never get the 'true' story.

'Like history, water can be clear, dull, moving or still. It can distort, confuse as well as provide clarity.'
 
Saddle blankets in the exhibition are a response to the properties William wrote from ‘Glenora' in the Gulf Country, ‘Cunnamulla' in South-West Queensland and ‘Bellenden Plains' to the north of Cardwell, where Valerie grew up.

'The braid series is made of string, a material that was relevant in his time and is still used in my time.

'It's been quite a journey. It's his journey and my journey and I hope people who see it can experience that too.

'Everything that has been collected has been a part of someone else's life before me.

'It's been a long project but it's been fascinating. Ten years of a person's life could easily extend into ten years of my own.'

Arts Lecturer and Curator Simon Mee said the exhibition managed to put together everyday objects in a very meaningful way.

'It's a wonderful exhibition, a public memory art project,' Mr Mee said.

'It has a broad community appeal and would touch upon a lot of people's memories of growing up and their recollections of the country.'

The exhibition continues until 23 July 2007 in the USQ Arts Gallery.

Media Contact: Jane Urquhart USQ Media +61 7 4631 2559