12 March - 7 June 2009
Tasmanian artist Henri’s exhibition examines the convict way of life and commemorates their contribution to Australia through the metaphors of bonnets and vessels. Vessels of Hope involves pupils from St. Patrick’s Primary School in Fremantle and Ursula Frayne Catholic College, as well as participants from Fremantle and Perth.
The students were told stories of the convicts particularly that of the men transported to Western Australia on the Hougoumont, the last ship to transport convicts to Australia. These narratives were interpreted as colourful images drawn on paper that were then folded into boats.
The handmade bonnets featured are symbolic of convict women who were transported to Australia from 1787 to 1853. The convict women’s story is multi layered. The hardships they suffered and the grief of separation and loss is unfathomable. Each boat and bonnet commemorates the life of a convict. Although created from the same templates, each is uniquely decorated, forming a personal tribute to these individuals.
A bonnet template is available from the exhibition for visitors to participate in Henri’s project, or click here to access the artist’s website where the template can be downloaded.
A newly released DVD ‘Voices in the Dark’ documenting Henri’s journey is on show as part of the exhibition.