The stair walk

Number 47 'Beyond the fence'

While setting up the exhibition at Number 47 on Friday, Rylstone resident delivered some gauze that he had found in a cave near Tayan Peak, Wollemi National Park.

He added to the story: in the cave there were some other items, a bottle of caster oil and iodine and a box of Propain Powders: a mix aspro and caffeen wrapped in small paper pieces.

After From the Mud to the Stars

On Saturday 22nd September, Terry Yates presenter of 'From the Mud to the Stars', Kandos Rylstone Community Radio KRR fm interviewed me about my exhibition at Bathurst and 'Beyond the Fence' exhibition at Number 47 Rylstone. I asked for donations of unused, unwanted cotton gauze to go towards the 'Gathering' work. One Kandos resident left a package at Kandos Post Office for me. What a wonderful surprise when a cordless phone box was handed to me and I was told it was full of gauze. Thankyou.

This is a wonderful roll text 'New Era, White open wove, bandage, neat edge, 1" x 6 yards, Johnson and Johnson Pty Ltd, Sydney, Made in Australia'

from Rhonda

Rhonda was in the group of people who were involved in the installation of Symmetrical Planting at New England Regional Art Museum. She comments

'I was very attracted to the paper that wrapped the rolls. Remember that circle of navy paper that covered the gauze used at your work in NERAM, sort of crisp but soft. I bet there are many smells for you to absorb while you're working. I don't have any gauze to contribute.....one of those items that holds a lot of memories of first aid kits in my nanna and pop's cupboard, contained in a home made box. And rolls seen in cupbords over the years. '

centre of gauze held together with grass seeds

from Lisa, Ken and Flis

A group of people that were in Armidale for the 'Symmetrical Planting' installation, each took home some gauze when the work was rolled up. Lisa used some of her's in an animation and returned this lot with a card.
Lisa's partner Ken sent these 3 samples of gauze tubes
Flis sent her donation along in a St John's first aid bag

From Jan and Rob

This gauze roll has been in Jan's bushwalking medical kit for years, being mainly used by other walkers to bandage their feet to protect from further blistering. The gauze has been to the Wollemi Pine with Jan, who was with Wyn Jones the pair of botanists that identified the tree from fosil records. Jan worked on the site of the pine recording and researching.

This roll came to Australia with Rob all the way from New Zealand about 15 years ago. It had been kept in a metal tin and has rust stains on the edges of the roll.

The gauze and the grass seeds. The beginning of the work for Bathurst Regional Art Gallery.

The next addition to the gathering

The first donated gauze

In the first aid kit too

The Gathering of the Gauze

I’m working on my exhibition “Gathering’ at Bathurst Regional Art Galley, 17 August to 30 September, 2007 and need some help in gathering materials.

I’m after old gauze. Can you help?

It’s time to clear out that old medicine kit and send me the gauze wadding and bandages that have been sitting in the bottom of the kit for 20 years stained by time or betadine. Gauze that would be of no use to you. Your donation to the gauze works will be documented and added to this blog. The gauze I have received so far drawn attention to some interesting things in the first aid kits, a bottle of cod liver oil, the ‘cure all’ was in a school's kit. One first aid kit was used by a school football teams in the early 1970s and had a packet of asprin possibly 40 years old nestled within it. If you send you gauze by mail I will photograph the package and the contents. You can also add a story and a photo if you wish.

Some of the gauze that you send me will be incorporated in the disk work ‘gauze and grass’ in the "Gathering' at Bathurst Regional Art Gallery. Other pieces will be kept for works in the future. I aim to place the disk of gauze and seeds on the floor, in the gallery. The size of this work will depend on how much gauze I get sent. Now it is about 32cm diameter with 2 rolls of gauze. I like the patina the old gauze has collected over time and the waves which have been set into the gauze from the pressure in the centre of the roll.

I am looking at the grasses that grow just down the road, the roadside vegetation, there are at least 10 different varieties and after the rain they are busily growing and producing seed. Such a precious image after the years of dust and heat. I am collecting the seed and making work from the seed and gauze. The seeds move as the humidity changes and their awn (thin long tail like structure or ‘bristle-like projection’) bends and kinks and straightens with moisture. This works links into Symmetrical Planting, the installation from New England Regional Art Museum.

Your gathered materials will be documented on arrival and with your contribution of gauze you become part of the ‘Gathering of the Gauze’ project. Please send the link to anyone that you think would be interested in the project.

Thank you for your help,

Christine
Mailing Address:

Christine McMillan
PO Box 1
Kandos 2848
Australia

The first rolls of gauze given to
me in a first aid chest clean out and update.