The Magic Lantern Series

SLOT Gallery, Australia, 2009

 

Using historical images sourced from the State Library of Queensland and overlaid with details influenced by Russian Constructivist style, these ‘magic lanterns’ address issues related to the history of Queensland’s indentured workforce drawn from the Pacific region during the nineteenth century. Housed in cheap lamps manufactured in China and made following Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s 2008 decision to bring back South Sea Island labour to Queensland farming, this installation sutures aspects of the past to the present.