Shaped By The Sea - Sharon Mason - Connections to Sea Country

Shaped By The Sea - Sharon Mason - Connections to Sea Country

Artist and knowledge holder Sharon Mason, shares her deep connections to sea country, and the story and art of shell gathering and shaping walkamara - fish hooks from abalone shells.

'Sharon’s artistic representations of a traditional fishing technology required many hours of skilful craftsmanship. Her work which is currently on permanent display and is titled walkamara - meaning fish in the dhurga language. Sharon’s process for making abalone fish hooks is grounded in knowledge overseeing the traditional dance outfits which use abalone shell ornaments for the dancers. Sharon has a passion for re-igniting knowledge relating to sustainable practices of preserving traditional knowledge of bush tucker and harvesting ocean resources passed down from her mother Vivian and generations of great grandmothers.' Excerpt from lab.sea.museum

Curated by Matt Poll
Commissioned by the Australian National Maritime Museum for ‘Garrigarrang Garaguru - Saltwater Cloud’.

Featuring
Sharon Mason
Megan Patten Lonsdale
Ron Mason
Vivien Mason

Producer Director - Vera Hong
Cinematographers - Craig Bender and Vera Hong
Aerial Cinematography - Craig Bender
Sound Recordists - Craig Bender and Vera Hong
Editor - Vera Hong

Awards
The Australian National Maritime Museum's ‘Garrigarrang Garaguru - Saltwater Cloud' won the 2024 AMaGA Award (Australian Museums and Galleries Association) for ‘Best Digital Interface’.