mindfulness – Michmutters
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Australia

Mindful matchbox art helps Bundaberg’s Marlies Oakley process floods and COVID

A south-east Queensland artist has been hunting for matchboxes — but the only fire she is interested in lighting is a creative spark.

Sharks leaping into a waterspout, penguins mingling with nuns and a space shuttle gliding over the Sydney Opera House show some of the stories inside Marlies Oakley’s mind.

The German-born Bundaberg woman creates miniature stories inside matchboxes using a cut and paste collage technique, then joins the boxes together to create large voyeuristic artworks.

A woman leans against an artwork of empty matchboxes filled with collage stories.
Individual stories contained in the matchboxes symbolize disconnect and isolation.(ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

“Every matchbox is different,” Ms Oakley said.

“They consist of a background, with a few other elements within the matchbox for a 3D format. All collage and hand cut.”

Ms Oakley began working with collage after her home and business were devastated by the 2013 Bundaberg floods.

Her early works involved cutting postage stamps to create large-scale portraits and the process helped calm her mind.

A portrait of Donald Trump created from postage stamps.
Ms Oakley’s early collage work involved portraits created from postage stamps.(Supplied: Marlies Oakley)

Working with matchboxes was triggered by a more recent stress — COVID-19 lockdowns.

“A couple of years ago, I got a big box of matches at the Tender Centre,” Ms Oakley said.

“I forgot about them, but then I opened them up during COVID lockdown and I thought, ‘Oh, what can I do with them?’ and I started to collage them.”

Each matchbox contains its own “weird” or “quirky” tiny tale and when linked they represent the common feelings of isolation and disconnection during lockdowns.

“They are all their own stories because during COVID we have all got sort of inside our own homes and cocoons and nobody went out,” she said.

Matchboxes filled with small pictures pasted inside.
Each matchbox has a background, with images pasted to form an individual story.(ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

“We started to think inside our own box.

“I love them all, I just giggle when I see them.”

Matchboxes strike interest

The artworks have captured the attention of galleries, with Ms Oakley claiming several art prizes for her works including the prestigious Martin Hanson Memorial Art Award and ‘Highly Commended’ Lethbridge Gallery Small Art Award, two years in a row.

Her 2022 entry ‘Thinking Inside the Box (cubed)’ is 462 matchbox stories linked to form a cube.

The cube took Ms Oakley about a week to create, in a process she describes as a “memory game” where she surrounded herself with images she had cut.

Creating the stories is a mindful practice for Ms Oakley but it is cutting the small images from op-shop books and magazines that has been the most helpful in calming her mind.

A woman holds a large box that is an artwork featuring matchboxes with miniature collages.
Marlies Oakley with her cube telling 462 collage stories.(ABC Wide Bay: Brad Marsellos)

“For hours I’m just cutting things out,” Ms Oakley said.

“Even if I don’t glue in a day, every night, even in front of the telly, I’m cutting things out — it’s part of my life now.

“I had a holiday for three weeks and I didn’t do it and at the end I thought, ‘I need it, I miss it’. I go into my own little world and cut and glue.”

An expensive venture

Sourcing the matchboxes is one of the only downsides of Ms Oakley’s creations, with many shops no longer stocking them.

And they are not cheap.

“It’s quite expensive to find the old matchboxes,” Ms Oakley said.

“But I found a really good supply at a major hardware store — I don’t know if they use them for barbecues or whatever, but you can still find them.”

She removes the matches and places them into a large jar, which she may use in an artwork in the future.

Ms Oakley’s artwork ‘Thinking Inside the Box (cubed)’ is currently on display the Bundaberg Regional Art Gallery as part of the HERE + now 2022 exhibition, which runs until November 13.

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Categories
Australia

Trauma-informed photography course gives abuse survivors a new perspective, boosting self-esteem

Child sexual abuse survivors say a photography course is teaching them to see beauty in the world and help them gain a sense of confidence — all with their smartphones.

After photographer Mitch Dunn taught the six-week course in Ballarat last year, the participants kept in touch, sharing their photos in a private social media group called the Light Seekers.

“The real foundations of photography which support healing are light and perspective, and that can be accessed through any camera,” Dunn said.

“Light is a really beautiful metaphor for healing. When we think about light in terms of photography, when we look at the brightest light source, it creates the darkest shadows.

“When you find yourself in a dark place, when you understand photography, if you turn 180 degrees, you’ll find bright light — it’s also a metaphor for hope.”

wave crashing over a rock
Marita finds joy in taking photos on the Great Ocean Road.(Supplied: Marita)

Dunn also focused on composition.

“It’s about narrowing your frame, so when things are overwhelming or you’re seeing a lot of negativity, if you can compose what you’re seeing in a certain way, there is always beautiful hope and inspiration somewhere around.”

New friendships without expectations

Abuse survivor Marita described the course as a “powerful experience”.

“It was my first step back into being a bit social. I had 15 months off work related to a court case and a breakdown,” she said.

Learning about composition, grid lines, lighting and portrait photography changed her approach to how she takes photos or uses her phone camera.

Close up of a fern.
Martia says she finds photographing nature a great way to feel connected.(Supplied: Marita)

“Mitch was really good at getting us to see things from different perspectives; some of mine turned out quite abstract,” Marita said.

She found new friendships with the other survivors where there were “no expectations”.

“It was nice to be in a space that felt safe and supportive of being who you are, not having to justify your behaviour. It felt quite trauma-informed.”

The 43-year-old’s favorite photo is waves crashing over rocks at Johanna Beach on Victoria’s Great Ocean Road.

“It makes me feel peaceful; it sounds weird but it’s a wild and windy place, but whenever I go there I feel really calm because I can feel the sand, the spray of the ocean and the salty air.

“I feel like I’m away from everything and it’s a really calm experience.”

Passion for photography returned

old church
Drew found his iPhone ideal to use as his hands shake due to Parkinson’s disease.(Supplied: Drew)

When Drew was seven years old, he had his camera taken off him by the Anglican Church where he was sexually abused in South Australia.

“They told me they were ‘saving it for the best’ but I never got it back,” he said.

Now 57, the Narungga man said a lot of his photos were in black and white at graveyards.

graves with trees in the background
Drew took black-and-white photos to represent the camera taken off him as a child.(Supplied: Drew)

“The black and white represented the type of camera I had taken away and because one of the places I was taken for walks by the reverend was in cemeteries.

“It’s interesting how some habits are still there subconsciously or otherwise, but they can’t hurt me anymore.”

Drew lives with Parkinson’s disease but finds his phone’s in-built stabilization helps him to deal with his hands shaking.

“The course provided so much joy for people who had been left in the dark and we’ve been friends ever since,” he said.

A mindfulness tool

cat-face
Mel says she now uses photography as a mindfulness tool.(Supplied: Mel)

Mel is a carer for her husband — both are survivors of child sexual abuse. She said the biggest thing she learned was the mindful aspect of photography.

“If I feel a little bit stressed or overwhelmed, I just take myself for a walk and take my camera,” she said.

“Taking photos of things I see at that moment can be a tool in moving forward.”

red mushroom in a forest
Mel has found joy in taking photos while out walking.(Supplied: Mel)

For Mel, the course was the first time she had done something for herself to address her trauma apart from a few counseling sessions.

“It’s a very personal thing. I wasn’t ready to open that can of worms for a long time,” she said.

“But now I love being able to stop myself and be present in that moment when taking photos.”

New views everywhere

Sun and the clouds, tones of blue and a bright sun
Annie finds joy in photographing clouds which she sees a metaphor for her life.(Supplied: Annie)

Annie was sexually abused as a child, which has caused her to experience low self-esteem and a lack of confidence in trying anything new.

However, the Light Seekers book created with the participants’ photos at the end of the course has her beaming with pride.

“It was such a boost to my self-esteem, something we’d achieved out of such adversity,” Annie said.

“It was me getting some recognition for the sorrow I’d gone through in my life.”

Annie found her favorite topic was taking photos of clouds.

Cracks on the pavement
Annie says she now sees aspects to photograph in unexpected places.(Supplied: Annie)

“The clouds were symbolic of my life — the different shapes, some days they’re beautiful and others are just smudges across the sky,” Annie said.

The 63-year-old now sees the world in a new way.

“On bad days now I’ll sit and look at the clouds. My eyes have become like my camera and I’m more cued into looking at things differently.

“Even cracks on the sidewalk, I stop and look at them and take photos of them too.”

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