Katie West
“calico dyed with wandoo bark”
Katie West is interested in systems of renewal and reciprocity. Combining textiles and social practice, she uses plant-knowledge to cultivate connections to place, and to create sites for meditation, reading, listening and conversation.
Her process begins with gathering materials on country: leaves, bark, flowers, each fallen to the ground after storms or heavy winds. The hot or cold seasons determine which dying process is used: in cold weather, boiling water is used to transfer dyes; whereas in the hotter months, fabric and dying materials are immersed in water and placed in the sun. The infusion of place into these fabrics forms the central part of West’s installations. They are a reminder of our indivisibility from the landscape, from the microbiomes that we host in our bodies to the natural and built environments in which we live. Emphasising our points of connection, to the land and to each other, Katie creates places to address trans-generational trauma.
Permanently installed in the West Space office, the work invites institutional self-reflection and accountability in regards to West Space’s position on stolen land. It is a clear reminder of the duty of care owed to the custodians of the countries in which we live and work.
Katie West is an artist and Yindjibarndi woman based in Noongar Ballardong boodja. Her practice is grounded in the understanding that the health of human society and Country mirror one another, inviting attention to the ways we weave our histories, places, and more-than-human kinships.