Tools used in millenia old jewellery making processes, and their outcomes - selection on display at the USTA exhibition.
USTA exhibition. Image courtesy of Cleopatra’s Bling

Usta | Cleopatra’s Bling Past Event

Cleopatra's Bling in collaboration with Stone Country Creations, Throat & Xtrascentsory

Dates

Thu 23 May 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Opening Evening
Fri 24 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sat 25 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sun 26 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Mon 27 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Tue 28 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Wed 29 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Thu 30 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Fri 31 May 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sat 01 Jun 10:00am - 5:00pm
Sun 02 Jun 10:00am - 5:00pm

Tickets

Free, No Booking Required

Access

Low sensory / relaxed, Seating available, Wheelchair accessible

From being chewed, scuffed, stuffed into a pocket, and polished with use; to sitting still in a silent, climate-controlled vitrine in a dimly lit museum. A design object is created with a blend of artistry and use in mind. And yet, when engaging with objects from the ancient world, we are usually kept at a remove, experiencing only an impoverished version of their original charm through the singular sense of sight.

Usta, by contrast, is an exhibition hosted by Cleopatra’s Bling creative director Olivia Cummings that offers multi-sensory engagement with design techniques from the historical Mediterranean and Middle East, as well as Kabulwarnamyo, West Arnhem Land.

On display are household objects, jewellery, and perfumes, all of which are crafted by Cummings and collaborators using ancient techniques from the region. Interaction is encouraged as visitors immerse themselves in ancient scents and try on Ottoman-style earrings or handle a Romanesque spoon. Food and drink is offered to guests, with recipes referencing the historical ingredients of the Silk Road trade route which once connected Italy to Turkey.

Usta – Turkish for craftsperson – engages the five senses, giving a tactile and immediate experience of ancient design techniques and how they have been passed down through interconnecting cultures and generations.

The lands the exhibition takes place upon have thousands of years of their own artistic practice, reflected in the sculptures presented by artists and wurdurd (children) of Kabulwarnamyo, West Arnhem Land. These were developed in 2023 at a joint workshop with Stone Country Creations, at which participants etched and moulded designs based on their ancestral stories, or dreamings. In an alternative form of conservation to that of museum artefacts, the design objects on display preserve the carriage of important cultural traditions and ecologies of artisanship into the present day.

Participants

Stone Country Creations

Stone Country Creations is a 100% Indigenous owned and operated business, managed by Lorraine Kabbindi White, renowned Gunmok artist from the remote West Arnhem Outstation of Kabulwarnamyo. Kabbindi, artist in her own right, works closely with her talented family on Mok Country which hosts Kabulwarnamyo Outstation, founded by her Grandfather, Lofty Bardayal Nadjamerrek AO. Stone Country Creations stands to create and generate opportunities for economic development, creativity, sharing and cultivating Mok artists’ age-old skills of painting and weaving through traditional and contemporary methods, enabling cultural sustainability.

Throat

Throat is a consultative dining project encompassing all things eating. Throat utilises historical, social, cultural, geographical, scientific and even spiritual references to develop comprehensive dining experiences with research and educational elements served alongside the food. In addition to feeding you physically, Throat offers menu development, aristological research, food design and food styling.

Xtrascentsory

Xtrascentsory is an ongoing olfactory project by Clara Chanisheff. By evoking memories through scent, Xtrascentsory engages audiences in educational spaces, offering new possibilities of sculpture and installation.


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