Rajah Quilt Project

Sails and Stays

Sails and Stays is a suspended sculpture designed for Senior Momentum by Elizabeth Barsham.

Supported by the Australian Government Regional Arts Fund

Constructed from fine cotton lawn, cord, rope, sandbags and dowels, machine stitched and hand knotted, the sculpture measures 2.5m high by 2.4m wide and 1.3m deep.

This installation suggests the voyage of the Rajah, a ship in full sail. The "stays" control the form and movement of the ship and the women. The valued cargo for the colony is the skills and health of these women, drawn from all over the British Isles. All but one woman survived the voyage. The Surgeon’s log reports "the health of all was upon their arrival in Hobarton much improved and considerably better than when they embarked at Woolwich".

Made by members of Senior Momentum: Pam Bennet, Trudy Cowley, Jill Cartwight, Wyn Foley, Karel Fontaine, Vanda Jackson and Jennifer Line

The sculpture resembles the masts and rigging of a sailing ship. The needlework and delicate fabric used for the "sails" recall fluttering petticoats and the "stays" of the title might refer equally well to the ship's rigging or to women's undergarments. With a list of their occupations written on the large sails, the piece underscores the position of the convict women as part of the cargo being shipped out to the new colony in Australia.

Karel Fontaine, Vanda Jackson and Jennifer Line constructing the sails