Holding Place (Silk Gabion)

Holding Place is a current research project by Perth artist Sherylle Dovaston, using site-specific materials, form, and process as tools of enquiry to investigate place, memory and human presence.

Case study: Edmund Ducane's house, Guildford convict precinct, Western Australia.

Silk becomes a counterpoint and receptacle for the hard materiality of the site; deep red clay, weathered timber, rusting steel, and carries multiple histories assoctiated with the property. Stained by plants, rust and clay, the silk is layered with text from original letters, planning documents, and personal quotes that express personal experiences of place.

The stained silk is wrapped around site-based artifacts, such as convict made bricks, and contained in a steel gabion.

This is an investigative work in progress.