Year 10 Cyanotypes - West Moreton Anglican College

Quandamooka artists Sonja and Leecee Carmichael have been a source of inspiration for Year 10 West Moreton Anglican College (QLD) students. The cyanotypes by the Carmichaels are informed by their family’s deep cultural connections to the land and seas of Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island).

Students walked on Yugara land considering man-made pollutants affecting their school campus. During a collaborative yarn, the students observed that it was items falling out of their pockets and bags which were most often on the ground. The campus has a large, clever crow population who open students’ bags, take items out, and then drop around the school. The cyanotypes created by the students include a collection of items they had in their pockets/bags at the time - it captured a hidden/unspoken side to the students – contraband items of necklaces, rings, bracelets, makeup. This made a link back to the Carmichael’s cyanotypes as the discarded fishing nets were a secret of the island that need to be exposed. The students had items such as headphones, chargers, glasses, lip gloss, and stationary which are classic items to be expected from a teenage class.

My students commented that the Carmichaels’ inclusion of items like shells, woven baskets, and plants are not reinforcing stereotypes of First Nations artwork, but a genuine reflection of the women’s environment – like this artwork honestly reflects the student cohort on that day. Each print is A5 so that the artwork itself can fit inside a student’s pocket alongside the items.

Annabel Simmonds | Leader of Learning – Visual Art | West Moreton Anglican College