Shirley Macnamara runs a thriving cattle property in remote central Queensland, close to her ancestral Country and near the city of Mt Isa, one of the most productive mineral mining sites in Australia. Macnamara has worked with spinifex – a ubiquitous native grass – for several decades; she sees the inherent strength and flexibility of the grass as a metaphor for both Aboriginal peoples, who have struggled resiliently, and as a reflection of her deep cultural and family connections. To create these vessels, Macnamara strips the outer layer from the roots of the spinifex to reveal its colours, which change with the seasons, from pale yellow during rainy times to intense red when it is dry and hot.

Macnamara includes local galah feathers and layers deep red ochre in the nest-like interior of Erkel (Vessel), itself created from twined spinifex combined with yellow ochre the artist found in an old mining pit on her property.