Handpainted 'Cycle of Life' opera cape by Bronwyn Bancroft
Object No. 94/120/2
Dr. Bronwyn Bancroft (b. 1958) is a Bundjalung woman who works across a wide variety of mediums including fashion, painting, installation, printmaking, collage and photography. Her early career was pivotal to the growth of First Nations Australian fashion and the visual arts sector, especially with her work through Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Co-op. Her contributions are still of immense value today as a maker and a mentor to younger generations. In 1987, Bronwyn, along with Euphemia Bostock and Mini Heath, showcased fashion lines modelled by local women at the Aboriginal Medical Service after being invited by Lily Madden to help raise the self-esteem of younger women in the community. The three women were later invited to Paris to showcase their lines, a first for Aboriginal designers and young models. This opera cape, Cycle of Life, was one of the garments paraded at the Paris department store Au Printemps. The hooded cotton drill cape was hand-painted by Bronwyn and details the cycle of life for Aboriginal men and women in a colourful and gestural pallet which echoes the colour pallet utilised by the artist in her painting practice. The legacy of artists such as Bronwyn from the 80’s and 90’s is still felt today, making this work a legacy piece to both the history and future of First Nations fashion design today.
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Summary
Object Statement
Opera cape, 'Cycle of Life', cotton drill, designed and made by Bronwyn Bancroft, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, 1987
Physical Description
Full length opera cape with hood made of blue cotton drill lined with black polyester. Centre front hook and eye fastening. Handpainted design with poster and fabric paint featuring two human figures on the front and a lizard on the back, representing the journey through life of an Aboriginal man and woman.
DIMENSIONS
Width
850 mm
PRODUCTION
Notes
This opera cape made with cotton drill fabric was hand painted and sewn by Bronwyn Bancroft for a fashion parade of work by Aboriginal designers held in Paris in 1987.
HISTORY
Notes
These outfits were featured in a fashion parade at Au Printemps department store in Paris in 1987. The parade grew out of a programme devised by Lilly Madden, nutrition co-ordinator at Redfern Aboriginal Medical Service. She had been running health, beauty and modelling classes to train and increase self esteem among young Koories and decided to stage regular fashion parades to display the talents of young Aboriginal models and designers. One of these parades was documented by a freelance journalist and photographer and appeared in the Paris daily, Le Monde. The article created such interest that they were invited to parade garments at the Au Printemps department store in Paris. Supported by the Aboriginal Medical Service a group of ten models displayed the work of three Aboriginal designers, Bronwyn Bancroft, Mini Heath and Euphemia Bostock.
SOURCE
Credit Line
Purchased 1994
Acquisition Date
25 May 1994
Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.
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