There's a beautiful symmetry across the creations of Gillawarra and Mamiwatta, two jewellery brands founded by women from different Indigenous cultures. Both brands are vibrant, striking, and imminently wearable – and both are being exhibited in a fashion show and panel live-streamed from Redfern's quirky community space and design centre, 107 Projects.
At Connecting Cultures on Saturday, October 17, two designers will highlight the impact of culture on their creations, connecting through their similarities and unpicking the differences across Australian and Colombian Indigenous cultures. Ana Maria Parada, founder of Mamiwatta sees the value of wearable art not just for adornment, but for healing and empowerment, while Gillawarra founder and proud Worimi woman Krystal Hurst believes that there is a need to create space for the beauty and tradition of ancient cultural expression to live on.
“The event patches a significant gap in the recognition of traditional craft beyond modern consumption. In many Indigenous cultures, wearable art plays the role of storytelling, empowering and healing,” said Parada in a press release. “Connecting Cultures will underscore how this occurs in two distinct cultural contexts, trace their similarities and differences, and celebrate the continued existence and importance of wearable art today."
“This kind of cultural skill and knowledge is essential for First Nations peoples around the world," said Hurst. “Our cultures have been impacted by over 200 years of colonisation, and our ways of creating, adorning and existing have also been impacted. Our show will focus on celebrating our survival and resilience. We need to allocate more space for our ancient cultural knowledge and expression to live on."
You can get your tickets online for $35 each, which will give you access to the fashion show and allow you to participate in the panel event – and if that wasn't enough, 30 per cent of ticket sales will also be donated to stopping Aboriginal deaths in custody. Bask in the glittering jewellery – and what looks set to be a fittingly sparkling conversation after – from 6pm onwards.
This event is part of Sydney Craft Week, find out more about this year's program here.