Karen Ferguson

Is a Melbourne sculptor whose work for GKW is:

• Bob’s Your Uncle picture frames; men's handkerchiefs; fabric; glue; permanent marker

Karen's statement:

Bob's Your Uncle

When I thought about things that will be left behind as we enter the new millennium, the language of older Australians came to mind, particularly old Australian colloquialisms. With the globalisation of culture, and the strong influence of American colloquial language through film, music and television, many of the sayings of older Australians have become rustic and are unused by the wider population. They have become quaint, invoking an earlier Australia that no longer exists. I chose to write the phrases I collected on another anachronism, the handkerchief. The disposability of the tissue has pushed aside the familiar, personal comfort of the hanky. Somehow there seemed to be a relationship between these now unused hankies lying dormant in peoples drawers, and the unused phrases which may survive in dictionaries but otherwise will simply disappear.