Buttons!

Vintage buttons & nylon

The “button” project started in February 2014, during my travels after finishing from Enmore Tafe. Wanting to keep making whist in transit, I brought along a bag of vintage buttons to do some beading. This allowed me a creative outlet as I trek through Asia.

Creating these button neck-pieces unearthed some surprising revelations. Working with buttons was like playing. It immediately reconnected me with a sense of joy, of picking up happy tactile materials like toys. It was surprising also to discover how buttons can unlock history and forgotten stories.

As these neck-pieces were woven on planes, trains and buses during my trips. Strangers would see and frequently be eager to have a chat about what I was making. As it turned out, It seems like everyone had their own "button" story to share.

To me, these buttons acted as “bridges” to social barriers, like a form of 'social lubricant' if you please. The response was universal. Every one wanted to handle and play with buttons and formidable barriers such as class, culture and religion quickly fell away as we chatted and played.

Exhibited at

*Chai Diam Ma 15 Lebah Queen Penang 2014