Made from steel salvaged from restoration works at the Convent. The corridor of earrings reflects the sisters, whose monastic rhythms inhabited the convent’s lofty halls. An existence punctuated by prayer, times of the day, light and dark, seasonal shifts, collective footsteps, and the fall of light from arched windows as they walked in groups along the corridors. Nuns walked in threes, lest two should be prone to gossip. 760 x 140 x 80 mm Steel, sterling silver Photography: Fred Kroh, Mural Hall

Founded in response to local destitution as a result of an exodus of men to the gold felds, for 111 years (1863-1974) the Abbotsford Convent was a home for orphaned and abandoned girls. An ephemeral symbol, the Daisy recalls the seasonal beauty of the Contemplative Gardens, evoking the light-hearted games of children and the delight with which the gardens are experienced now. The flower garland is used by many cultures to signify welcome and belonging. Within the historical context of children in institutional care, the meaning of this floral wreath and its plucked petal earrings, shifts, revealing mourning and loss. 1000 x 1000 x 200mm. Sterling silver. Photography: Fred Kroh, The Store.

Established by nuns sent from a French order, the significance of open and closed, shut in or shut out, separated, or connected; public or private, abounds across the story of the Convent. Culminating in 1997 when a property developer threatened to return the Abbotsford Convent to a closed community. Curious mushrooms and lichens sprout from the iron keys, revealing an unexpected and diverse potential for life, waiting to erupt. Antique French keys, sterling silver, bronze, patina. 1230 x 500 x 30mm Fred Kroh, North Magdalen Laundry wall

Poised on the horizon, the sun continues to preside over all the goings-on at the Convent. Signifying natural cycles and new beginnings. The Convent is experiencing its own New Day. A creative dawn, built upon both the challenges and achievements of previous ages and the vision of its people today. Brass and patina. 900x20mm. Photography: Fred Kroh, Rear wall Sacred Heart.

Falling teardrops acknowledge the hardship of many who lived at the Convent. Their Shadows are traces of the stories embedded in the architecture. By reorienting the tears, pointing their apex to the middle, they become flowers. On the banks of the Yarra, where tears have fallen, a meadow is beginning to bloom; cut from the materials of its restoration, highlighting a new season of possibilities for its use and expression. Teardrops & Shadows. Front-Back earrings Sterling silver, acrylic 2400 x 600 x 60mm & Behold, a New Season! The Meadow. Salvaged steel from Convent restorations, paint, powder coat, patina. 1500 x 1500 x 30mm Photography: Fred Kroh, The Sacred Heart Oratory

Cast from an almond tree from the Convent’s gardens, the brooch references the biblical story of Aaron’s Staff, where though cut from the tree, an almond branch continues to produce life that represents the spectrum of seasonal growth. Worn across the heart, the brooch points to an ecosystem of artists immersed in place, sprouting creativity at a variety of stages and through varied seasons. Bronze, sterling and fne silver, patina, stainless steel 370 x 220 x 80mm Photography: Fred Kroh, Rear Wall Sacred Heart Model: Jess Fraser

Beads formed from clay harvested from the Yarra acknowledge the land pre-settlement. Taking the form of a rosary, where groups of beads symbolise a decade. Set like gems, the necklace is punctuated by salvaged building materials and architectural vignettes. Vic’s Rosary takes its name from a builder with a long association with this place. Having first worked here during his apprenticeship in his teens when it was an active convent. Returning in his late seventies to carry out heritage restorations. The Rosary is an ode to material knowledge and the dedicated practice of craftsmanship over time. Yarra clay, thread, copper, sterling silver, tin, salvaged tile & wood from the Convent, mortar, stone, paint, patina. 1500 x 500 x 30mm Photography: Fred Kroh, Rear wall Sacred Heart Chapel

Following the model of the Magdalen Asylums of Europe, the Sacred Heart dormitory was established to rehabilitate young women who were without family support, had broken the law or did not conform to the social expectations of the time. Separated from the other girls living at the Convent, young women worked as unpaid labourers in large-scale commercial laundries. By day they laundered sheets, by night they slept in open halls containing row upon row of beds, with little privacy. Cotton sheets. 5800 x 1800 x 150mm Photography: Fred Kroh, North Magdalen laundry

Embodying two disciplines of monastic life, Selah invites you to pause and reflect. Peering into the water, the viewer is positioned within a reflection of the architecture around them. Looking more deeply, the trace of a quatrefoil emerges, and the decorative symbol of religious architecture forms a halo around the viewers reflection. That you stand within these walls today, engaging with art conceived on these grounds, is the expression of the vision and tenacity of people whose sustained efforts shifted this space, to a place that continues to fnd its resurrection through the people who interact with it. Aluminium, sterling silver, water. 870 x 180mm Photography: Fred Kroh, Contemplative Gardens

The Round Table honours the vision of the five local people, who gathered weekly around a kitchen table, to build the seven-year campaign that would see the Abbotsford Convent rescued from private redeveloped and restored to the people. Below its jubilant spread of wine glasses, golden light gleams from the iconic rows of windows of the Convent building. Could these five have understood what their efforts would mean to the creative community now housed within? Mild Steel, polypropylene, wooden table, paint, LEDs, glassware. 1000 x 1000 x 800mm Photography: Fred Kroh, Sacred Heart Oratory.