Liv Kidston

Avondale is a large-scale patchwork quilt that depicts an aerial view of my family's sheep farm, where I grew up. This work allowed me to reflect on themes of generational knowledge within my family of female artists and the complexities of calling a colonial landscape home. This quilt was a labour-intensive process of felting, spinning and plant dyeing, transforming raw materials and engaging with the land itself. As I stitched each piece together, I considered the vastness of the landscape and the changes it has undergone. The white stitching serves as a metaphor for the fences enclosing livestock and the colonial transformation of the land. The materiality of the merino wool is central to this work, as it is from a poddy lamb I raised as my own, which ties the quilt to memory, place, and family. This project has heightened my awareness of my family's privilege in living and profiting from this land.