Presented by ANVAM together with artist Sacha de Wit, performer Kirshy McAinch
In the Great War of 1914-18, more than 61,000 soldiers of the Australian Imperial Force died in Europe & the Middle-East. Of those who died, some 18,000 have no known grave. Following the war, families of those who had died were invited to write an epitaph for the headstones of their loved ones. When she learnt of these epitaphs, constrained by a limit of only 66 characters, Navy veteran Sacha de Wit was inspired to create an art installation to commemorate the words & feelings they expressed. The Unknown Widow reflects on the challenge families must have felt in writing these short, permanent memorials, & reminds that some families, including the family of The Unknown Soldier now buried in the Hall of Memory in the Australian War Memorial, had no opportunity to compose epitaphs.
The Unknown Widow stretches along a makeshift clothes-line: 66 embroidered handkerchiefs, each with a 66 character epitaph, the succinct, heart-rending, emotional words of those left to mourn. In the beautiful commemorative space of Wedderburn’s grand Mechanics Institute, this exhibition takes a simple sidea & evolves it into a powerful visual symbol. Walk among the fluttering pieces of cloth, hear the songs of the time, full of yearning for peace and a return to community, & read on the exquisite little embroidered cloths words straight from the hearts of so many Australian families.
Fri 3 Oct 5.30pm-6pm & Sat 4/Sun 5 Oct 3pm-3.30pm with The Unknown Widow performance with singer Kirshy McAinch
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