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Abstract
This thesis examines institutional violence, trauma and affect, loss of identity and the notion of silence. I have addressed the hidden history that lies beneath the surface of our recent past. It relates to the lives of many women who, as children were incarcerated in Parramatta Industrial School for Girls, Parramatta N.S.W.,
(1887--‐1974) and Hay Girls Institute, Hay N.S.W. (1961-1974)
Throughout my research into these two institutions I have produced a collection of works that explore through narrative And conceptual perspective the history of these institutions, and I have documented the traumatic and violent conditions
That permeated the Child Welfare System in N.S.W. from 1961-1974.
The collection of works is in six parts and translates the experiences of the girls. The notion of silence is pivotal to my research, as silence, isolation and solitary confinement was an enforced punishment. Each body of work relates to an aspect of the complex and disturbing history, and I have recontextualised their stories through the use of multi disciplines and a diverse range of industrial materials.
The outcome of this research for my Master of Fine Arts is a confronting and yet sensitive body of work that simultaneously voices a personal narrative and is a critique of the failure of the child welfare system in N.S.W.