Transparent Brown Oxide
The Iron Oxide Triad · 09 of 14
First Indigenous Woman Elected to Federal Parliament · 2013–2016
Her achievement
Nova Peris made history as the first Indigenous Australian woman elected to the federal parliament, representing the Northern Territory in the Senate — also the first Indigenous female senator.
A former Olympic gold medallist, she brought attention to Indigenous issues, advocating for social justice, health and education reforms.
The materiality
The defining character of Transparent Brown Oxide is its deep radiant warmth and the chemical presence of iron oxidation.
Across the custom-textured surface the pigment settles into the raised ridges of her hair and jawline with structural weight. In the peripheral bursts the medium releases into energetic splatters and granulating washes that carry raw physical momentum.
Oxidation is a process of exposure, pressure and chemical resilience — a substance that hardens under environmental stress. Steadfast darks for composure in the Senate; explosive bursts for the drive of an elite athlete breaking historic barriers.
Macro detail
Look closely
The pigment settles into the raised ridges of hair and jawline with structural weight. In the bursts to upper left and right it releases as energetic splatters and granulating washes — raw physical momentum. What happens to the pigment where the tissue paper rises?