Milton Patterns

These designs are inspired by the site’s history of Ambrose Eldridge and his success in growing the first European cotton in the 1850s.  It is Eldridge’s farming experiments that led to the area now known as Milton, with the success of his cotton crop and its export to Great Britain ensuring the prosperity of the area and creating the earliest modern Australian landmark – Milton House. Channeling my maternal heritage, the cotton bulbs, leaves and buds, have been transformed into Japanese-inspired patterns featured in fabric designs, creating a link between the growth of cotton in Queensland that was then exported to places like Japan and Paris to create beautiful textiles. This life-cycle of the plant also reflects the changes that have taken place in the area now called Milton Urban Common. The artworks have been sandblasted into the pavement of the park's perimeter.

Milton Patterns, 2019, series of sand-blasted pavement designs, commissioned by Brisbane City Council for Milton Urban Common, corner of Railway and Manning Street, Milton. 2019

Photography: Elysha Rei, 2019