POSTERS FOR SCHOOLS
I’m giving away Aussie posters to school teachers who’d like to make their own posters with their students.
Order your poster by emailing me this message:
peter@peterdrewarts.com
Hi Peter
I’d like to participate in the schools Aussie Poster Project.
Our teacher’s names is ———-
The school’s name and address is ———-
Thanks,
———
2. Download the activity sheet here.
3. Download the poster template here.
Resources for Teachers
The AUSSIE poster project began with a Possible campaign back in 2016 that allowed me to stick up 1000 posters all over Australia. Each poster features an archival photograph of someone who applied for an exemption to the dictation test, which was a function of the White Australia Policy. I found the images, amongst thousands like them, in the National Archive of Australia. I hope the posters help us expand and reflect upon what it means to be Australian.
Monga Khan’s photograph comes from the National Archive of Australia. It was taken in 1916 for his application of exception to the dictation test, which was a function of the White Australia Policy.
F.A.Q.
Who are the people in the Aussie posters?
They are people who lived in Australia and were made to apply for exemptions to the dictation test which was a function of the White Australia policy. The exemption allowed them to leave Australia and return without being racially excluded. All of the photographs are from the National Archive of Australia. Most of the people featured in the posters are not famous, although some are. Several have become better know as a result of the posters:
What about the descendants of the people in the Aussie posters?
I’m often in contact with descendants, some of whom live in Australia but many live overseas. Some of the family trees are enormous and spread over several continents. While it might not be possible to contact all the descendants, we can still try. If you think you might be a descendant, or know someone who might be, please get in touch. I’m always happy to provide hi-res copies of the original documents so we can attempt to fill in the blanks.
* If any family member have reservations in regards to the posters being posted up illegally (as has happened in the past) that aspect is easily avoided without the image losing public visibility.
What do the Aussie posters mean?
Ultimately the posters are an opportunity for people on the street to identify with the people in the posters. When we gaze upon the other and feel their gaze returned, we recognise oneself within the other and, for a moment, all boundaries dissolve. That’s my aim.
However, I’m happy for people to read the posters as they wish. On the one hand they speak to the aspirational ideal of the nation state as equaliser and unifier. On the other hand they expose the legacy of racial prejudice which compromises that ideal. But really these academic notions are secondary, and often offer little more than a means of avoiding feeling. Primarily I hope the posters foster human connection through the image itself. In this sense, I believe in the primacy of art. At its best, art gives us a fleeting chance to strip the world of its moral and ethical illusions and reveal our naked vulnerability, and brutality. In reality there is no such thing as ‘Aussie’. It’s just another fig leaf.
Is it illegal to stick up posters?
Yes. If you’re caught by police you’ll probably receive a fine. I’ve been fined three time; once in SA, once in NSW and once in the ACT.
What sort of glue do you use?
Wheat-paste. 1 part flour, 5 parts water. Stir until homogenous and heat until gelatinous.
