Trees planted in Balmain in the 1970’s have grown to the extent they are undermining the foundations of our homes. This tree was hanging perilously close to power lines, immediately next door. Thank you Tony and Anne for providing material to explore my support of The Voice.
The Yes Sculpture Michael Snape 2023 Hardwood 182cm x 100cm x 90cm
The sense of joy at the prospect of voting YES in the (still) upcoming referendum has been muddied recently by our collective capacity for doubt and suspicion. The NO campaign seems to have found traction to suggest an upcoming negative result.
If our spirits were high at the prospect of hearing and properly integrating an Indigenous Voice, they are now damp.
We are all now damp with uncertainty, suspicion and self-protection. The NO campaign brings out in us the opposite of joy.
The Yes Sculpture Michael Snape 2023
This sculpture expresses the joy I felt at the prospect of a better hearing of the Indigenous Voice. This joy will persist beyond the result of the referendum.
The voices already heard have steered the ship in an irreversible direction towards Indigenous recognition. We are seeing Indigenous People in every walk of life more than we did before. Where they have for a long time been highly visible in sport and culture, the Indigenous voice is being heard in government, in the media and on advisory boards.
I have Indigenous friends now. I didn’t before.
The Yes Sculpture Michael Snape 2023
This sculpture shows, from my perspective, the opportunity we had and the opportunity we still have, to honour the First Peoples of this country.
We have no reason to doubt what may come from a Yes outcome.
This sculpture seeks to make a contribution to the strength and clarity of The Voice, by blowing the cobwebs of doubt away.
This sculpture is an argument for the Yes campaign, but can be applied also down the track, to future circumstances.
The Yes Sculpture Michael Snape 2023
Art and Politics, from my personal experience are chalk and cheese.
In this instance I have found a voice offering a voice to others.
Before the vote, this sculpture may be useful to add weight to the Yes campaign. After the vote, it will retain the same use or revert to art’s usual status.