Frances Tapueluelu:

23/03/2020 to 17/06/2020 

“I lost my ability to want to address the work that I was doing. Falling out of the want to make that work. When I was beading, there was nothing in my head when I was doing that. Where my artwork is all up in my feelings, in my heart and my head and my soul”.

About FRANCES TAPUELUELU 

Frances is a New Zealand born Tongan, of Vava’u and Nuku’alofa descent. Graduating with a degree in fashion design, Frances worked in the fashion and film industries in  New Zealand before migrating to Melbourne.Frances constantly refines and evolves her craft,  extending her creative practice to include wearable art, print and spoken word. Her works have  featured in numerous exhibitions across Australia and New Zealand and have been added to  permanent collections internationally. 

Engagement within Moreland  

A resident in Moreland. 

What did life look like before the pandemic?  

Before the pandemic, I was getting ready to put some pieces into a show. I was doing lots of  drawings for it. I was making some shapes and some patterns. All the preliminary stuff before  you actually go ahead making the pieces. Also I had a really active social life in the arts as well.  Going to exhibitions. Hanging out with friends that were doing things for shows. What I liked  about the beginning of the new year was that I was not sure what the year was going to hold for  me, so I was really looking forward to it. I only committed myself to one big thing this year, and  that was trying to make pieces for a show that I was going to be involved in that was traveling to  New Zealand. I just wanted to slow down a bit this year. Little did I know that I would really slow  down... 

Can you describe the artwork you are making for this show?  

The piece that I was making is six pieces. And its only one work. It’s called “Reign of Terror''.  The Reign of Terror is based on colonisers getting to places, and they had these, I would say  weapons that would debilitate the indigenous peoples...And I feel has made us weak, but is still  left behind and we’re still dealing with today. So I thought about countries that colonised other  places, and how they usually had kings and queens. So the best way to depict that was to make  some crowns. And what was I going to make the crowns about? It's about six subjects. The 6  subjects are; religion, tobacco, flour, sugar, alcohol and disease. And the crowns were going to  be made out of materials that you could recognise as being those themes. That was a work I  was making just before the pandemic hit. 

I am a political artist. The best way that I can have a conversation with a person is to put some  art up and hopefully my work can speak to the person or the people looking at it. To young  people as well. I am very interested to address things that still have implications on young  people that have first nation heritage. Always interested in having that conversation. I’m hoping  that conversing with my art makes people who identify as first nations not feel alone. Particularly  for me, I’m in this workspace alone. I feel very alone. I’m alone with my thoughts and making. I  have to channel my grief, trauma, depression, angst and fear into my work. And to share it is  huge, but to have a conversation is what I’m aiming for. Is for us to keep on having  conversations.

What was your experience during lockdown?  

I mean, I think I'm a hugger, kisser, cuddler. So all of these things I couldn't do, I couldn't even  see my friends or my family. I felt really isolated. And for the first time, I felt lonely...and I say  that because art has always been my buddy. It's always been my friend. Whatever I gave to art,  it sort of gave back to me. But I couldn't even do that. So I did some things that weren't art. I  ended up doing some beading, which took hours and hours and hours and hours to do. And it  was just because I was sitting there doing a repetitive motion. It got me out of my head. I think  there was something about the repetitive motions that just stopped me from feeling lonely. Also I  made a lot of coats. Not that I need another coat, but because it was sewing straight lines. So  the more straight lines I sewed, it was just meditation. I was so bored with straight lines  afterwards. It was like, I need to make something else!? Hahah! So it was about trying to do  something that wasn't about making art... And just trying to get out of that spot in my head or  just out of my head in general.  

How did lockdown restrict your engagement with working on the piece, ‘Reign of Terror’?  I lost my momentum...and you know, I'm usually good at motivating myself. I'm good at finding  that half an hour gap to glue something and then go. I'm really good at getting the ideas, and  trying to get them out of my head as soon as possible, because it won't be too long before  another idea comes into my head. But I just lost my momentum. I lost my ability to want to  address the work that I was doing. Falling out of the want to make that work. When I was  beading, there was nothing in my head when I was doing that. Where my artwork is all up in my  feelings, in my heart and my head and my soul. So I had to put these feelings over there, and  on the other side, I was just like, dreary, boring, meditative, and trying to keep myself  busy....Though lately I've gotten it back. I just had found my materials again, so I can see myself  getting back into it slowly. 

Were you impacted with work? 

So I'm still working. I've always worked. But during that period of time, I didn't see anyone. It  was just, go straight to work and come straight home. Do groceries, do all the things that you  were allowed to do. I wouldn't even go for a walk? I worry most of the time if I'm asymptomatic. I  say that because I work with a very vulnerable group of people. I work with a lot of homeless  people who were moved quickly off the streets, so they weren't exposed to anyone who had it... 

But in saying that, before Covid our crew would get exposed to pneumonia during winter really  fast. So in two ways, it really protected our people and made them healthier.  

What is your current situation and thoughts on the pandemic?  

I'm still worried about what's going to happen. Though I think I'm okay. I'm alright. I still try to  practice putting grace on everything. And just trying to tell myself it'll be okay. I've felt more  stress at my job than I have at any other time. I felt more pressure at my job than any other  time. You know, somebody can tell me what has happened to them and i can cope with that . I  can have those conversations. But with coronavirus, there's been this added stress that has  been enormous – people that have never had the need to access a homelessness service talk  about being homeless and jobless for the first time and they put that stress onto you, and it's  just been enormous. I think too, we've had a 40% increase in after hours, and I work after hours.  So it has been busier than busy. So just the response and having to keep a calm tone, the  added stress and working with not a break or not a coffee....You know just to work under that  level of stress and pressure, every shift has been enormous. And to come home and not being  able to talk about it has been huge. I'm still in that position of still working and being busier than  we ever have been, and trying to honor people's stories and what's going on for them. I also  worry about the end of payments come September. I'm afraid of the moratoriums on the rent.  I'm afraid of people getting evicted in mass numbers. When people's employment benefits stop  or change in the level of payments and the assistance, what does that mean for our service  come September? A Lot of our homeless people that have been given emergency housing  during this time, they might become homeless again....