Camille Laddawan — Opus No. 1, 2023

Opus No.1' is named after a song written by Tim Carleton. This song is now used as hold music by many institutions, including the Australian Government's social services program, Centrelink. This song has been transcribed into a visual code and woven into the grid of the beading. In the context of Centrelink, 'Opus No.1' is used to obscure one's experience of lived time, and to create the sensation of moving forward. Without hold music playing, there is silence, and more unstructured space for 'lived time' to be felt (impatience). Hold music draws the body into the time of the institution, filling the gap produced by expectation. By translating 'Opus No. 1' as a visual score and embedding it into the work, the institutional hold music that 'holds' the individual in time, is rendered visible.

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Beading artist Camille Laddawan weaves seed beads on looms with a visual language system she has developed called ‘Tone Code’. Through the use of code, her work comments on the nature of institutional language, and the difficulties of navigating it. By drawing on personal experiences of coming into contact with legal, welfare and healthcare bodies, Camille’s work seeks to make these experiences and ways of communication visible. Laddawan’s process is rhythmic, taking long periods of focus to count and thread, balancing the tension that draws each individual bead together. Laddawan holds a Bachelor of Visual Communication from Monash University and a Master of Art Therapy from La Trobe University.

Melbourne Design Fair 2023

May 19- June 21

Read more about this years MDF here.

The Melbourne Design Fair 2023 is curated by the National Gallery of Victoria and delivered in collaboration with the Melbourne Art Foundation.

Material: Glass beads, sterling silver, thread 

Dimensions:  770mm x 660mm (unframed)