Camellia Sinensis
Sterling Silver
28 x 10 x 11.3 cm

NEW WORK
Part of a series of Objects for the IOTA 24 Craft Triennial
This is the first object in the series. It uses the archetype of the vessel to respond to diaspora place-based making as a way to document the cultural vernacular of Fairfield West and Cabramatta where I grew up. Cabramatta is one of the most diverse suburbs in Southwestern Sydney largely made up of migrants with Asian heritage.

MAKE AWARD finalist
The Australian Design Centre
The MAKE Award: Biennial Prize for Innovation in Australian Craft and Design is a major new national craft and design innovation award initiated by the Australian Design Centre.
https://makeaward.au/finalists/

Photo credits
Jennifer Chua

Camellia Sinensis - I have taken on the tea leaf motif of the camellia sinensis to graphically draw a boat in metal.

This boat object amulet is to honour the place of Fairfield. Fairfield is largely a Chinese and Vietnamese migrant community where I grew up. The design derives from Eastern cultural symbols and western material-making practices to speak about the movement and migration of a place. The layered arrangement of the emblematic motif of tea leaves is shaped to embody complexities associated with my personal experiences of migration. Sinensis is the Latin word for translating Chinese. Tea’s origins are from China and through time became global. The tea leaf motifs have a deep historical association with Asia connecting trade routes and metaphorically contribute to the layered meanings associated with the diasporic community of Fairfield.

Constructing the silhouette of a boat form presented technical challenges. In addition to this, working with a more literal structure is new to my practice as all my works have taken on simple geometric shapes including the rectangular and cylindrical prism. Other challenges included the surface pattern. This required manipulation and arrangement of the metalwork to connect seemingly. The resulting pattern is a metaphorical translation of meanings. The undulating flow of the tea leaves extending and intersecting appears like leaves cascading from a tree or like the current of water waves. I chose to use sterling silver for its soft white metallic colour but also to signify Fairfield as a place of charm.