Rebecca Ward: Bush Craft

Overview

Every kid plays with sticks. You did it. You picked them up, gathered them into piles, tried to fashion them together and more, all while you were getting your hands dirty playing in a park or your backyard. Turning sticks into jewellery is much less common, of course, so no wonder Rebecca Ward's pieces are tiny works of art.

On display as an aptly named collection called Bush Craft, her stick-based brooches don't just recall times gone by, however. They also contemplate a future that hasn't yet come. Drawing upon the modern survivalist movement, and also taking inspiration from the popular book series from the '70s and '80s that gives the exhibition its title, Ward ponders a situation where wearable art can only be made from things found in the forest and recycled fencing wire.

Actually, that's how she crafted them, too, using sticks foraged around Maleny. As you gaze at their striking natural designs, you'll be certain to think about certain things: the bush life, the need for resourcefulness once you head out of the city, and what that kind of living does to your heart, spirit and mind.

Image: Rebecca Ward, Bushcraft series, 2016. Found sticks and sterling silver. Photo courtesy of the artist.