Delvene Cockatoo-Collins is a First Nations multidisciplinary artist and designer currently working and living on Quandamooka country. Most recently, Delvene worked as the costume designer for Capricorn, a brand-new Aussie play currently showing at La Boite Theatre. We sat down with Delvene to discuss her craft and how she links it to her rich Indigenous heritage.

Hiya Delvene! Who are you and what do you do? I’m Delvene Cockatoo-Collins and I’m a Quandamooka artist. The environment around me is so pivotal to my work, and I use a lot of natural materials in my art.

Talk to us about your creative process. I’m so inspired by the stories and the craft passed down to me by my mother and grandmother. When it comes to the practical side of creating, each piece is purposefully curated using the natural materials of the environment that has been foraged ethically through traditional practices. I use materials that are around me and inspiration might start from a conversation, some research, some drawings and then working out what materials would work best to share that story.

What inspired you to become an artist? I started with a very long time ago when I was at uni. I was making earrings and jewellery and things and then I submitted some of those earrings for the Queensland Merchandise Awards in 2002 and I was a finalist. When I moved back home, I was able to be inspired and have access to the vast resources around me, sit with mum and find out about new stories and then it just kind of organically happened! Art is so important to me because it’s the best way to connect with people, especially with kids. They'll come in and see my work and then inquire about it, which then engages parents to talk, too.

You mention that you use a lot of natural materials in your work, do you have a favourite material to work with? I’m always on the lookout for a good branch! I love walking across the beach and just picking up anything cool I can find, and spending time walking across the sands just taking in our beautiful coastlines is just the best.

So, talk to us about your work with Capricorn. It's been a journey! The production team pretty much came up with the concepts, but I also had some ideas of what I wanted the costumes to be. It was just transforming the art I usually do into something that could be on stage.

Have you done costume design before? Nope. It was a bit stressful at first, but everyone was so supportive and helped push me along to create something new and exciting. 

Anything on the horizon we should look out for? There’s always stuff you can’t talk about! I have some cool stuff on the way, but we just have to wait!

Capricorn will run from July 24th – August 4th.