Shirley (Yumala) Collins
Emu, Utingat Dreaming, 2021
Mixed Media, translucent fabric with loose open weave, acrylic paints, polymer, feathers, wool & adhesive
Diameter 53cm x 18cm x 12cm
I have designed and created this mainstream shaped bowl that takes on the colours of our totem, the Utingat in my language, or better known as the Emu. Her footprint and eggs are in the fertile but harsh countryside of Mt. Isa, as her spirit wanders, foraging for food for her chicks. This is a very contemporary form of an artefact, to show the spirit of my Kalkadoon nation totem Emu/Utingat and to create an awareness of my art practices.
