Shutdown250

An online exhibition by Greg Manning

The 250th anniversary of HMB Endeavour, tracing the south-western edge of the Pacific Ocean, is upon us – during the novel Coronavirus shut-down.

Has controlling movement across borders ever been so compelling?

As readers of this blog know, I have doing some needlework and reflecting on how events of the past occupy and affect my day-to-day language. I do this by listening to the way we use place names in relationship with each other (e.g. addresses, traffic reports, etc). One of the self-conscious challenges in this reflection is to attempt to sustain an acknowledgement and respect for the traditional owners in my own choice of words while verbalising events characterised by dis-respect. On this subject, I claim self-consciousness, but not achievement.  Gains in this subject of our contemporary language cannot be made without broad-based, public processes of listening and truth-telling.  Along the way, I hope to be formulating better questions and wiser sensitivities. This is an exercise in language, primarily. It is often mistaken for an exercise in history.

There are currently 9 exhibits in the ‘Shutdown250’ series. This number may grow as the year goes by. Most of the exhibits include ‘Health Supplements’, which are best consumed during a heightened alertness to infectious disease. The needlework is built upon the long-stitch work of anonymous women (presumably), which I have sourced from op shops. The base pattern is called ‘Cook’s Cottage’, from the SEMCO Originals series.