Sunshine Coast Hinterland Times

Noela Mills’ wabi sabi jewellery

Sunshine Coast and Hinterland artists have just returned from an art and culture exchange in Tatebayashi Japan. The focal point of the week was an exhibition of art works by both Australian and Japanese artists with a two metre sculpture designed and created by Maleny artists as the centrepiece. 

The Sunshine Coast Regional Council and Tatebayashi City Council have an annual sister city exchange. Tatebayashi is a city of about 170,000 people, two hours north of Tokyo. 

Practical workshops and demonstrations in jewellery making, western calligraphy, hand-made books and patch working, along with social events, were all part of the week long artistic collaboration.

Noela Mills in a Japanese kimono

Over many years Palmwoods artist Christine Elcoate has generously facilitated the annual exchange. Eight Sunshine Coast region artists, including Christine and three Maleny artists, Fiona Dempster, Noela Mills and Barry Smith, paid their own way to Tatebayashi to participate in the collaborative week. 

Noela received a grant from the Australia-Japan Foundation which allowed her to participate in the Tatebayashi exchange.

As well as exhibiting a range of artist’s books Fiona Dempster taught western calligraphy and book making to a group of enthusiastic Japanese. Noela Mills taught jewellery making techniques using recycled teabags, and explained her passion for ‘wabi sabi’, a concept reflected in her aged and ‘found object’ exhibition pieces. Barry Smith exhibited small sculptures created from recycled and salvaged materials including wood, rusted metal, stainless steel and wire.

Jewellers Christine O’Reilly and Chantelle Fischer taught a ‘wearable art’ workshop to Tatebayashi high school students and both exhibited exquisite pieces. Nicky Taylor and Merle Wagner spent a day on a project involving the internationally renowned Tatebayashi Quilting group and exhibited their own work. Christine Elcoate exhibited silk felted wall panels with extensive machine embroidery.

Barry Smith designed the collaborative two metre sculpture which features four strong pillars, making up an imposing sculpture two metes high and 800mm square (pictured left). Fiona helped Barry to construct the sculpture which was created in situ in two days. A local builder, Kanda-san, provided all the recycled timber cut to size. Completion of the sculpture in the time available was a challenge and Barry was mightily relieved when the four pillars were manhandled into the exhibition space with a couple of hours to spare.    

Then in true collaborative style its ledges and niches accommodated about twenty small art pieces contributed by the eight Australian and eight Tatebayashi artists.

During the visit, exchange members also tried Zazen meditation at the Fusaiji Temple, learnt something about the rituals and traditions of Zen Buddhism; saw ancient Indigo dying, and visited a local sake factory. In 2010 Tatebayashi artists will visit the Sunshine Coast and Hinterland for another exchange, building on the friendships and understanding of each other’s culture, way of life and artistic expression.