Jillian Stevenson

Baggage is a vessel for throwing away all those COVID creepies. Comically oversized, this home-grown SCOBY bag has been carefully nurtured and crafted to hold and lighten you of your lockdown baggage. Cast a thought, qualm or grievance to dear CV. SCOBY is an acronym for Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria & Yeast. It is a cellulose mat holding bacteria and yeast cultures that assist in the fermentation of kombucha. Forming at the top of a kombucha brew it becomes ‘the mother’ of any future brew you may wish to make; a little like a sourdough or bread ‘starter’. Slimy, sometimes sinuous and meaty looking, this culture can be grown to any size or shape container. Here the sheets have been grown, harvested, dyed with forgotten red wine and blackberries, then dried and sewn into a big old bag.

IMAGE > Jill Stevenson, <em>Baggage</em>, 2021, SCOBY leather, carved American oak and mild steel rod, 130 x 100 x 31 cm. Image courtesy of the artist.
Not for sale

Spending an increased amount of time at home has cultivated space for ideas around resource and access. Materials and access to machinery and service providers is not as readily available and often stunted. There is a slowness that has to be adopted, and this is starting to impact some more recent design ideas.

Perhaps slightly, or beginning to have a rolling affect. There is more of a focus on every day goods, and utilitarian objects. Utilising what is immediately around us feels key, without trying to engage with people or outside services is a new habit. Using what is already in our tool shop or material library, referencing neighbourhood waste, and our surrounding natural environment feels apt.

There is a slowness that has to be adopted, and this is starting to impact some more recent design ideas.

The Darebin Parklands has been a great refuge and find, in my eyes it has many a design gem; an unexpected rock formation, interesting nooks, paths, and fallen matter.

My favourite room in the house is anywhere with good natural light, which often shifts. This is a favourite corner of late - my sister and I are still setting up our space. Georgia also runs her ceramics studio from our home, a lot of the time every surface is covered with a collection of our projects.

I have many a favourite object, and often these are tools! This cloth bound edition of Art & Illusion by E.H. Gombrich though, is a remaining favourite for it's cover, and it's content.

Ricotta with Raspberry Coulis on Toast!
with a good drizzle of honey atop.

This can be whipped up very quickly, the raspberry coulis, a bit of a single serve cowboy edition.

Get your saucepan a little bit warm, add a good squeeze of lemon juice and a drizzle of honey, and a dash of water, mix together.

Throw raspberries in, and let it sit for a minute, then you can beginning to moosh raspberries with a fork.

Taste a little - adjust lemon & honey to taste, then build your toast!