Wouter Osterholt & Elke Uitentuis, To the Other End (2009-10)
Artists: Wouter Osterholt & Elke Uitentuis
Work: To the Other End (2009-10)
Partner: Shire of Lake Grace & Lake Grace Artists' Group
Location: Lake Grace, Western Australia
Dutch artists, Wouter Osterholt and Elke Uitentuis, spent late 2009 in Lake Grace developing their project, To the Other End. A complex mixing of economies, ethics and custom, this work deals with the issue of the live export of sheep from Western Australia to the Middle East and demonstrates the artists' interest in global trade that links one locality to another and causes discussions about morality.
Using sheep's wool from the Lake Grace region, the artists spent over 1000 hours knotting a traditional Islamic funeral rug that was later transported to Bahrain for the Eid Al Adha Festival of Sacrifice. Following local custom, the rug was used in the ritual slaughter of an Australian sheep on Bahrain soil, before being returned to Australia.
Interested in visually connecting cultures together, To the Other End creates a strong image that embodies both the complexities and sensitivities of trade and tradition.
