"Set Me Free", while I learned to set myself free.
Year 2020... has come to an end. Who would have thought it has became a year that changed lives and changed the world. Coming in to 2021, we are still in the battle of the unprecedented event of Coronavirus.
I am no different than many; has been impacted by the virus. With 3 kids and a new-born at that time when the outbreak happened; things changed. As for the very basic day to day life has became a luxury and not so basic anymore. People panicking, anxious and angry at the same time, do things that they wouldn't normally do. For example the toilet paper outage incident; in my opinion, it is just unnecessary. But at a time like that, many people think that they can just do anything to make themselves feeling a little better and secure. It is all part of the anxiety. How should they dealt with it; what they can do to calm themselves down.
At that time I do not understand why people did things they did so selfishly. But as times goes by into stage 4 lockdown, I started to realised that people deal with their anxiety differently. I didn't hoard any food or necessity but what I did was distanced myself from everybody else. I pulled my kids out of school earlier than everybody else, due to my health condition, I will be very likely to contract the virus before anyone else. As a single mum of 4, I cannot afford to be out of action. I must look after myself first.
Use your imagination, and try to imagine this; I have to home-schooled my 3 kids, caring and nursing my new born (eg: nappy changes, breastfeeding, nursing her to sleep), cooking, cleaning, looking after our house that set on a 2 acres block. Day in, day out. Not to mentioned the stress of getting groceries before everything runs out. These things used to be very simple thing that I don't usually have to worried about until I struggle to get nappies and rice. Why I asked? Why can't people be a little more considerate and simply be kind? Anxiety started to hit me that point. I felt helpless, I felt like I am burden to everyone.
As careful as I can be, one day, I was having fun with my kids in the backyard playing badminton. The kids been dragging some abandoned tyres from the bush and laying it here and there in our backyard. As I was reversing trying to hit the shuttlecock, I slipped a little and about to trip and fall. I assumed there wasn't anything behind me and let myself drop, hoping the drop will not cause too much damage. But as I let myself go, I landed my left ribs on a tyre. You probably think tyre must be soft and bouncy, I can tell you now, it is not!! I heard a crackling sound. I was struggled to get up, kids helping me at that point, the racquet is still in my hand. When I stood on my feet, I was still trying to swing my racquet wanted to continue playing. I just couldn't. It was so painful. I struggled to even taking a step further. So, I called the ambulance. It took me a few minutes before I did that. Because if I called the ambulance, that's mean I need another adult in the house to look after my 4 kids. Reluctantly, I called a friend that just lived down the road from me. She was happily coming to help as the ambulance took me away to the emergency. Then I called the kid's grandmother to go to my place to give my friend a hand as well.
After a 5hours wait in agony, X-ray results comes out with me having fractured a rib on my left ribcage. THIS IS THE LAST THING I NEED! On the way home, I keep thinking, what do I do? How am I going to care for 4 kids with a fractured rib? Did I mentioned that my baby was on a pavlik harness too? She need to be lifted for almost everything with the harness locking her knee high 23.5 hours a day. I was a mess....
But then, this incident actually helped me understand that, it is ok to ask for help. Thanks to my girlfriend that I am forever grateful to all things she did for me. I realised that I took the "lockdown" too far that I lock myself down too, thinking that's the best for me and my children. Clearly, it was not. I survived through the injury and things got a little easier when I started to interact and communicate with others. It really helps with my anxiety and the household becoming more relaxed when I started to do so.
Not too long after that, I was contacted by an organisation called Burnie Works. Burnie Works is a long-term community initiative taking place right now in Burnie. It works collectively to bring the community, government, service providers, education and business together to create a better future for everyone. Lucy came to me offering me a job to create a physical totem/prop/sculpture that will reflects how can we recover from the unprecedented Covid-19. I took the job. I was given all the freedom to create something that is truly me and will work for everybody. BEST-THING-EVER!!
I am not one that settle for something ordinary. When I took the job, I promised my client that I will deliver nothing less than spectacular (no pressure). When I set a bar for myself, I usually challenged it to the maximum. Whether or not it is doable, well, I guess I will find out when I am making it. I want to create a piece that is not only personal to me but also related to many. It must also highlight that we are a part of this beautiful city by the sea, Burnie. My creation process usually started with a basic draft of the shape then I go from there and add on things I see fits.
I have chosen to commit to paper as my main medium of the sculpture. With 4 kids in my care, the only time I get to do anything is when everyone is in bed, asleep. So, I worked at night time. The last few hours before I went to bed. It took a good 4 months for me to complete the work. I set myself a deadline and make sure myself will motor through to meet it.
And, "SET ME FREE" was born 11012021.
There are 2 figures that walked upside down, represent; for some, during the pandemic their lives has been turned upside down.
There are a numbers of figures climbing up and making their way to the cage. This represent helps and resources that is available to help us. While the world might be facing lockdown, cutting all physical interaction but that doesn't mean we cannot do it in a non-physical way. Eg: the internet, solves the problem. Communication can come in many forms, it doesn't stop us from reaching out and interacts with other. It is whether or not we choose to do so.
The cage and the "wingedman" represent the inner of Robert. Robert feels like he is trapped in the cage with broken wings. Feeling isolated and helpless. But is he? Whether or not it is lockdown, life must go on. I have also featured a couple of Tasmania Devils, a nest of eggs, a bird, waratah flowers and greens that represent the nature we have around us, will not stop breathing, growing, spreading their wings despite the Covid-19 lockdown. Especially in this piece of paradise, Tasmania. We are surrounded by the serenity that envied by most. I also did not forget to feature the infamous Octopuses figures representing Burnie Foreshore in the heart of Burnie CBD as well as some water under the octopuses, representing the city by the sea.
Nobody can tell us what 2021 will bring us after the new norm from year 2020. If anything, I think we all have learned something different from it. We know how and what we can do to make our lives easier. Instead of focusing on the negative, try reflect on what are the positive that came out of year 2020. For instance, the earth became greener, people appreciate more of simple pleasure like going out to do groceries, walking on the beach and actually interacting face to face to another individual.
I want to use this opportunity to thank the Burnie Art Council Lyndal & Pamela Thorne who has nominated me to Lucy Taylor from Burnie Works for this job. I uses this job to create something truly me and I really look forward to see how many different conversations will spark from this.
SET ME FREE will be touring around Burnie for the next 6 months starting from 2nd of February at Burnie Regional Art Gallery.
I also wanted to thank The Advocate Newspaper for making a time to cover this story as the frontpage spread on the 13th January 2021. Article also available online: A Striking Nine-Foot Artwork Is Travelling Around Burnie To Spark Difficult Conversations
Me and Lucy with Set Me Free | Photo by Simon Sturzaker from The Advocate Tasmania
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