ABOUT THE ARTIST
Fenella Edwards was born in Hobart and raised in Launceston, her Tasmanian roots are from the north west coast for generations before. A creative polymath, Fenella enjoyed creating across a wide range of media: lino cut printmaking, painting, sculpture, installation, sound, rap songs, film and poetry! ( See some of her other work at www.fenella.net.au )
ABOUT THE PIECE
This piece depicts myself as the Owl of Peace, showing the bone sculpture known as "Patriarchy" the error of their ways, so to speak; yet in a playful, tongue in cheek way which titillates Patriarchy just so.
Patriarchy comprises metal chain, seashells, wallaby bones, and shark's jaw to create a four-legged depiction of the ageing, ridiculous and decrepit male reign of society, now submissive to a matriarchal owl.
Owl of Peace is built from a single Tablo Drum balancing a gong with a tiger eye pendulum for its beak; its feathers range from bantam to magpie to hawk, and an old pair of sunglasses conceal two poker chips from the Queen Elizabeth cruise ship* for eyes, perhaps a nod to the 'poker face' the Owl can never quite pull... because it's all written on her face, if you look.
*Poker Chips I souvenired in 2011-12 over Christmas and New Year's Eve while cruising around the Canary Islands, Morocco, Portugal and mainland Spain with my favourite friend (and indeed fiancé when he died), Dr. Edward de Bono, who I met when he was King of (Thinking in) Launceston in 2002. He was a calm and peaceful presence who I never saw complain once in the entirety of our 19 year friendship; he was one of our world's most enquiring and sharp-witted minds and I am proud to have called him my dear, dear friend.