Art has been a medium for storytelling since the beginning of the human story itself, used to capture memories, emotions and knowledge. Whether sharing information, imbuing representations of nature with abstract significances or tapping into our more profound emotional landscapes, art has always brought us together.

Drawing on this tradition, the artists at the Cape York Hopevale Arts and Culture Centre are teaming up with QUT Fashion Design students. This exciting union will see the creation of a young, cutting edge couture collection entitled Wubuul buii, ‘together.’ Textiles designed by the artists are transformed into provocative and creative zero-waste garments. The products of this collaboration have told their individual stories at the 2019 Cairns Indigenous Art Fair and will be displayed at the artisan gallery from September 21st.

Established in 2009, the Hopevale Arts and Culture Centre is a space for local Guugu Yimithir artists to further their creative practice and maintain their unique culture. This not-for-profit corporation is owned and governed by indigenous artists and board members, actively encouraging Aboriginal people to engage with their cultural traditions and languages through intergenerational sharing.

Here budding or experienced artists learn ancient skills like gathering, weaving and bush dyeing local fibres, or more contemporary skills like printing, etching, and modern art techniques. There is also a workshop space available to members of the community, providing them with a safe place to experiment and push their creative practice.

The centre displays the arts, crafts and artefacts produced by local artists, which can be bought on-site or through the exhibitions which the centre attends. The work produced is highly interdisciplinary, with much emphasis on textiles, multi-media and collaboration with other art forms such as dance, fashion design and song.

The Wubuul buii collection will celebrate one of the oldest cultures on earth, with garments characterised by the bright, bold patterns used as forms of storytelling and cultural communication. The garments which made their way down the runway were designed with a zero-waste work ethic, further emphasising our connection to the earth and each other and challenging the designers to push their creativity to new levels.

The design students are excited to renew their collaboration with Hopevale, whom some worked with last year as well. Expressing kinship with each other and our past, this juxtaposition of traditional cultural storytelling with modern fashion design is narrating ancient stories in a new way, to an ever-changing audience. By adapting and transforming themselves, storytelling and art are always evolving, always relevant, and always essential to the human condition.

Be sure to check out this fabulous and thought-provoking collection at artisan from September 21st! For sneak peeks at the work in progress, take a look at the Hopevale Arts and Culture Centre facebook and Instagram pages.