Glass Artist - Exhibition Series

Sabrina Dowling Giudici

Sabrina is a transcultural Italo-Australian creative who has been telling stories of the Gascoyne region in Western Australia, since 1993, and particularly of the Gascoyne River since 2013. A Social Justice Geographer, her professional work as a Regional Development practitioner has focused on the settlements and land and sea environments. It is connection to this area that is her lived experience. Growing up between mostly Carnarvon and Rome (her birthplace), Sabrina finally chose to make the North West of WA her home.

Her initial PhD research focussed on describing the elements of a model to support tertiary education in remote areas, using participatory research action methodology. At every opportunity, Sabrina has sought to support and encourage tertiary studies in and about the Gascoyne region. This evolving commitment has allowed Sabrina to further her appreciation of the research by science students and academics. Her view of their work morphed into a desire to communicate their mostly hidden work, to Gascoyne residents and others.

Using visual art projects, Sabrina has a clear commitment to facilitating and influencing better decision making about land use in the Gascoyne environs. Translating her cultural lacemaking and textiles heritage using the medium of kiln-formed glass, is the platform through which Sabrina believes she can innovatively contribute to discourse that can advance local knowledge and action.

Living with traditional Elders on various Countries in the region has shown Sabrina some basic interrelationships between elements of the environment. She has been clearly shown that the health of the Sea is determined from way inland. So, despite most of the population living on the coast, it is the commitment to Country of the inland peoples that contribute to Sea health. For this reason, Sabrina has chosen river gum and seagrass leaves as the motifs of her glass art to create engaging objects of meaning making to symbolise the interaction of these habitats and raise awareness of better conservation and related social practices. Delving into the botany and the marine, river and wetland habitats, is the basis of the nexus between her art and relevant local research.

Personal statement: “The dualism between Art and Science is unnatural to me as I was traditionally raised as a central Italian with an Artisan family culture. Visually and tactilely expressing natural sciences in 3D is an instinctive practice. Delving into the flora and fauna of the Gascoyne’s marine, river and wetland habitats, is the basis of the nexus between my art and related science research.”

Current art works

"My transcultural creative practice centres on how artisanal crafts can blend with science and Cultural understandings as a vehicle for advocating social improvements through the disciplinary lenses of social justice geography together with Franciscan spirituality.
It is my desire to influence a better care of the place and people linked to the Shark Bay district of the Gascoyne Region. My passion for the nature of my home place includes the connection between the land and the sea where the Gascoyne River – and its sister the Wooramel, flow into. Through my creative work with kiln-formed glass, I consistently seek ways to increase the value of my contribution toward healing and regrowth and I am fully committed to the hypothesis that higher education activity is a transformative key to achieving these goals. I believe when old wisdom and contemporary understandings are shared together, new and useful meanings can emerge and influence better decisions about how to improve our lives."