1. INSTALLATION AT HYDE PARK BARRACKS HOSSEIN AND ANGELA VALAMANESH

2. BIOGRAPHY OF THE ARTIST COLLECTIVE o Hossein and Angela Valamanesh are a South Australian husband and wife art collective who have been working together for more than thirty years. o Uniting them, the two artists have extraordinarily different backgrounds. o Hossein was born in Tehran, Iran in 1949 and left his homeland in 1973. o His transition to Australia has influenced his installations and sculptures as he attempts to combine cultural elements from the two countries. o Angela (aka Angela Carter) was born in Port Pirie, South Australia in 1953, however also experienced transition and change when moving to Scotland in 1996. “Because we share a studio, the work is quite intertwined.” – Angela Valamanesh

3. o Hossein and Angela Valamanesh are two of South Australia’s best known contemporary artists. o Hossein works with natural materials such as sand, clay, twigs and flowers (mixed origins of plants recall his personal history of migration) to create his drawings, sculptures and installations. o Whilst Hossein works with these naturally occurring materials, Angela works with clay as she completed her diploma in Design by doing ceramic works. “Collaboration always extends beyond and seeps outside of the gallery’s neat recti linearity, the art world’s categories and the desire to claim a beginning and an end to just about anything…” – Miss Bub’s friend, Eleanor Ivory Weber (Above)Hossein Valamanesh “Fallen Branch”, bronze, 160cm Angela Valamanesh “Been Here and Gone”, Ceramic (above)

4. “AN GORTA MOR” MONUMENT TO THE GREAT IRISH FAMINE INSTALLATION AT HYDE PARK BARRACKS (THE GREAT HUNGER) – HOSSEIN AND ANGELA VALAMANESH

5. ARTWORK o Installation created in commemoration of the Great Irish Famine and everyone who survived it. o A section of the Barracks’ southern sandstone wall has been rotated on a raised, round platform to represent disruption and dislocation. o The table with the plates and utensils create an element of domestic life and hint of the hunger Irish families had to endure. o Names of Irish women were sandblasted onto the glass panels in dedication to female emigrants and gradually fade to one side. This was to give the artwork a holy quality and show the inconsistency of memory when it comes to remembering the names of the people who were heavily affected from the famine.

6. On the internal side of the wall, the long table represents the institutional side of things. There is a plate, a spoon and a place to sit on a three legged stool. There are also a couple of books including a bible, and a little sewing basket. In contrast, on the other side, is the continuation of the same table, but much smaller in scale. There sits the bowl which is hollow and actually cannot hold anything, representing lack of food and lack of possibilities. There is also the potato digging shovel, called a loy, leaning against the wall near a shelf containing some potatoes. The selection of 400 names, some of which fade, also indicates some of the girls who are lost to history and memory. (Source: Irish Famine Memorial)Irish Famine Memorial

7. AUDIENCE CREATING THE MONUMENT o Two possible locations for the sculpture were suggested. The forecourt of the Hyde Park Barracks and the other was the southern wall of the Barrack enclosure. o Outside influences affected the final location of the memorial. o Some considered the sight of a famine orphan would be too confronting. Many objected to this idea as some did not like the idea of a ‘commemoration of Famine’. o In March 1997, the location of the memorial (the southern wall) was finalised and the fundraising began.

8. o 28 August 1999, the memorial was unveiled to over 2500 people, including 800 Famine orphan descendants. o Each year, an event is held to keep the memory of the Famine orphan immigrants alive, to remember those who died during the famine period and to remember those who are victims of Famine today. o An Gorta Mor is an outdoor display which allows the public to engage with the work. o An Gorta Mor is now a popular Sydney attraction where people are able to visit, observe and pay their respects. Sydney’s Famine Memorial Opening and continuing legacy:

9. WORLD o This installation signifies young Irish Women who fled the great Irish famine. o The installation is a memorial to those people who survived and too 2.200 famine orphans who arrived in Australia under the Earl Gray Scheme. o The famine memorial is what people have described as a ‘sensitive and poignant reminder of this period in history.’ o Success and recognition had a huge impact on the installation that Hossein and Angela Valamanesh created. o Positioning of the memorial is in the southern boundary, this is where the convicts mess halls and kitchens were originally located which created significance for the creators of the installation.

11. HARVARD STYLE BIBLIOGRAPHY – ARTIST COLLECTIVE BIOGRAPHY o Adelaide Now - Contemporary Art collective 2014, viewed 18 July, 2014,. o Angela Valamanesh Exhibitions - Karen Woodbury Gallery 2014, viewed 16 July, 2014,. o Bio - Hossein 2014, viewed 17 July, 2014,. o Frieze - Artist collective, Hossein and Angela Valamanesh 2013, viewed 18 July, 2014,. o Greenaway Artist Collective Installation Exhibits 2012, viewed 19 July, 2014,. o Hossein Valamanesh Background 2014, viewed 14 July, 2014,. o Sherman Galleries - collective exhibition 2012, viewed 18 July, 2014,.

12. HARVARD STYLE BIBLIOGRAPHY – ARTWORK o http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/irish_famine_memorial_hyde_park_ba rracks> http://dictionaryofsydney.org/entry/irish_famine_memorial_hyde_park_ba rracks o http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/friendlessfemale/m emorial.swf http://www.migrationheritage.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/friendlessfemale/m emorial.swf o https://www.mca.com.au/collection/artist/valamanesh-hossein/ https://www.mca.com.au/collection/artist/valamanesh-hossein/

13. HARVARD STYLE BIBLIOGRAPHY - AUDIENCE o Irish Famine Memorial, 2011, About the monument: History of the monument, viewed 17 July, 2014,. o Perry McIntyre, P M 2012, Irish Famine Memorial, Hyde Park Barracks, viewed 19 July, 2014,. o Sherman Galleries, S G 2004, Artist Profile, viewed 16 July, 2014,. o The Cook and the Curator, 2013, ‘An Gorta Mor’ the great hunger, viewed 16 July, 2014,.

14. HARVARD STYLE BIBLIOGRAPHY – WORLD o Hyde Park Barracks,, Hyde Park, viewed,,. o Museum of Contemporary Art Australia,, Hossein Valamanesh, viewed,,. o Sydney Living Museums,, An Gorta Mor, viewed,,.