Teaspoon Colony
MELBOURNE, 6 FEB 2024 — 24 FEB 2024
Conversations with elders The paths of Mermaids and Merma (Mermen) Simon Normand (mapping song lines) with special guests Arnhem Land elder Marie Munkara (Mermaids) and Gadubanud elder Richard Collopy (Merma) Otway coastline
‘Before Covid I had never collected a single souvenir teaspoon. At my parents place I discovered a stunning enamelled Cann River spoon commemorating a bulldozer clearing old growth forest. Had never noticed it. Down the dark rabbit hole I went, finding myself in op shops where there were hundreds of spoons for a dollar or less.
By the end of Covid my collection had swelled to well over 1000 Australian towns, iconic 20th century depictions of place. A Tsunami of silver plated sites. In my studio there are probably now 3000 spoons, named mainly by white explorers, settlers, and as I burrowed more deeply, murderers.
I then painted a giant map of Australia, teaspoons skewered into its tribal boundaries as markers or way points. Masses around the eastern seaboard, none from Walpiri country in central desert. Few women commemorated, only a couple of bikini clad surfers, certainly no Aboriginal women, and the men invariably as noble savages.
Over the last 2 years I decided on creating 24 giant mosaic and steel forged teaspoons to further examine Australia’s glistening settlements and their horrible histories.
A teaspoon reckoning.’ – Simon Normand, 2023
Acknowledgements
This exhibition is the culmination of over 30 years collaboration with the elders around Australia. I would like to acknowledge the Wurundjeri people whose land this exhibition is on. In particular, Aunty Joy Wandin Murphy and Murrundindi for their generosity over the years. I would also like to thank the following communities; Gunditjmara (Portland region, Victoria), Gadubanud (Cape Otway region, Victoria), Mangarrayi (Mataranka region, Northern Territor), Alawa (Hodgson Downs region, Northern Territory), Ngukurr (Roper River region, Northern Territory), Numbulwar (Gulf Region, Northern Territory), Garrwa/Marra (Limmen Bight and Borroloola, Gulf region, Northern Territory), Boonwurrung (Port Phillip region, Victoria) and Wägilak mob (Arnhem Land, Northern Territory)
Teaspoons and Pandora’s boxes made with the assistance of Ironical Ironworks, Tighe Metal Spinners, Delucia Tiles, Colour Factory, Studio 534, Stella Freeman, Liam Freeman and Sue McSheffery.
Tribal boundary maps by Norman Tindale, courtesy of South Australian Museum