Boomerang Festival Workshop Focus: Delvene Cockatoo Collins

Delvene Cockatoo Collins will be presenting a Seeds, Ceramics & Jewellery Making Workshop, held in the Healing Tent at Boomerang, Bluesfest Byron Bay 25 — 28 Mar. Here she gives an insight into what to expect from it: 

"Living on Minjerribah, North Stradbroke island, home of my Quandamooka people, I am constantly inspired. Through stories I hear, moving within this environment, and with family all around, I have access to plenty of inspiration. I create a few different things like ceramic sea creatures, beads and printed materials. Through opportunistic moments like walking on our beaches, I collect seeds that have found their way to our shoreline to make into jewellery. My walks are about getting my feet into the sand, a way to switch off and also walk the same path my mum and grandmother took. Except theirs was always about gathering eugaries (shellfish) and now I'm gathering seeds. If there's eugaries popping in the sand, I'll collect them too. What's frightening is how much plastic is also being washed up. A big storm nearly five years ago was the first time that I had seen this dramatic change. It brought broken plastics, discarded fluoro sticks, balloons and their strings, thongs and much more. It was shocking and made us sad.

"To Boomerang Festival, I will be bringing the seeds that have washed up on our beaches and other seeds that have been collected on my travels north. These seeds can be drilled and made into jewellery. Anyone with an eagle eye, who can spot a good seed or other natural materials like small gumnuts, can create their own jewellery. Once found, drill the seeds, string onto twine, twisted raffia or other preferable material, and wear. It's all pretty straight forward, which is what we will be doing at the healing tent at Boomerang Festival. I hope everyone who joins Mum, my sister and I, is proud of the piece they create and inspires them."