by Virginia Simpson-Young, 1 August 2020

Brooke Green, who won the 2019 Jonathan Blakeman National Composition Prize for her work, From the Heart (photo: newsroom.unsw.edu.au)

Congratulations to Glebe local, Brooke Green, who won the 2019 Jonathan Blakeman National Composition Prize for her work, From the Heart. Brooke Green was inspired by an issue of national importance.

From the Heart is inspired by the ongoing contention in politics and the media surrounding the Uluru Statement of the Heart and whether the main ideas of the statement – having a First Nation’s voice in the constitution and creating a Makarrata commission – should be adopted by the government.

‘It’s a way of getting the issue out there. I can sign petitions and go on marches, but I like to make something that may seep into people’s unconscious a bit more. I’m hoping that my pieces bring about some change. I don’t know if that’s idealistic or not’, she says.

‘It’s also a way of commemorating some of the people who’ve died on Manus Island and Nauru. By naming them, I think it personalises them, and by dedicating a piece to them, they remain in people’s memories.’