Jacqui Malins

PROJECT - DRIFT OYSTER - RICH & RARE

I learned of the existence of ostrea angasi, also known as mud, flat or drift oysters, at the Davidson Whaling Station, south of Eden in New South Wales, in 2022. I was there as a participant in the ANU School of Art and Design’s Sharing Stories Art Exchange, and we were being guided by writer and naturalist John Blay. Above the old wharf, with its rusted whaling kettles, is a shellfish deposit (midden). It would have been the perfect spot to enjoy a seafood banquet, looking out over the inlet and open ocean. A huge thickly layered shell caught my eye, protruding from the grit. I picked it up and asked what it was. ‘Mud oyster’, said Blay. ‘They used to live in the inlet, but they don’t anymore, probably because of siltation from the timber industry’. This became the focus for my investigation, and a video, paper sculpture and zine were the result - see below.

I have since been working with machine embroidered lace, video and cyanotype, with intensive working time as an artist-in-residence at the Vancouver Arts Centre near in Albany, near Oyster Harbour, WA in August 2024. In 2024 and 2025 I am part of street performance at the Narooma Oyster Festival, delivering poetry about the loss and potential restoration of native oyster reefs.

In June 2025 this work will be exhibited for the first time at ANCA Gallery in Dickson, ACT. The exhibition will run from Wednesday, June 4 until Sunday, June 22, 2025, with the official opening from 6pm on Wednesday 4 June - all are welcome!