2483 – Melbourne Tailoresses’ Union Triptych
Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 20 x 20 cm
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Map reference number: 01
Victoria Trades Hall Council Building
Corner Victoria & Lygon St, Carlton South 28 August – 1 September
Mon–Fri 10am–4pm Opening: Tue 29 August 6–9pm
Artist/s: Justine Fletcher
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2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych is comprised of that number of individually cast resin pendants suspended on an acrylic frame, each representing a signatory recorded in the Melbourne Tailoresses' Strike Book of 1882-83. Terrible conditions in the industry resulted in the union being formed, with strikes occurring over several months. These became a catalyst for the galvanisation of the Melbourne union movement and for the acknowledgement of female workers. The strike is considered instrumental in the establishment of the Shops Commission and the Factory Act. Each pendant includes a fabric scrap donated by a current female union member, linking past to present. 2483 is the latest in a series examining the dynamic of individual and group, and is a comment on contemporary times – the meaning of strikes, protests, petitions. The work is a visual expression of an act of strength through unity which occurred over a hundred years ago.
a. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 35 x 35 cm
b. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 18 x 16 cm
c. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 25 x 25 cm
d. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 12 x 15 cm
b. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 18 x 16 cm
c. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 25 x 25 cm
d. Justine Fletcher, 2483 - Melbourne Tailoresses' Union Triptych, March-July 2017, Resin, fabric scraps, 12 x 15 cm
About the Artist
Justine Fletcher is a jewellery and installation artist residing in Wellington, New Zealand. With a keen interest in women’s rights in an historical context, she converts discarded household objects into new forms, carrying history into the present. More recently she has implemented casting into her practice to visually express statistical information. At the heart of her work is the female condition in the past, and its relevance to contemporary times. Justine trained as a gold/silversmith in Milan, returning to New Zealand in 1997. Since then she has moved toward expressing social and political issues, and working on a larger scale.
Justine Fletcher is a jewellery and installation artist residing in Wellington, New Zealand. With a keen interest in women’s rights in an historical context, she converts discarded household objects into new forms, carrying history into the present. More recently she has implemented casting into her practice to visually express statistical information. At the heart of her work is the female condition in the past, and its relevance to contemporary times. Justine trained as a gold/silversmith in Milan, returning to New Zealand in 1997. Since then she has moved toward expressing social and political issues, and working on a larger scale.
