Title: Clinical Yarning Queensland
Artist: Brooke Sutton
Project: Clinical Yarning in Pain Management
My name is Brooke Sutton I am 16 years old and I am a contemporary Indigenous artist from the Kalkadoon people from the Mount Isa area in Queensland. This painting is called “Clinical Yarning Queensland”.
In this painting the large community symbol in the centre represents QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute With the larger U Symbols (people) representing the health professionals, male and female who provide support for those with Chronic pain represented by the smaller U Symbols in the centre.
On the lower left hand side of the painting, the hand print and ear represents communication- listening and understanding the pain that the patient feels. With the circle in the bottom right corner symbolising yarning, talking about the pain and having two way conversations, the health professional and the patient work together to find the best way to manage the pain.
The three large red circles running through the middle of the painting represent the 3 main types of physical pain of the body, Acute pain, Chronic Pain and Breakthrough Pain and the people who it affects. The spirit in the top right corner symbolises spiritual, emotional and psychological pain, the body and spirit must be in balance “One cannot be well without the other”.
The 3 black sections of the painting which contain the medicine, bones, health symbols and native bush medicines represents both ancient and modern healing remedies and techniques. The bees represent a healthy environment and the butterflies represent change, with the greenery symbolising the rainforest. The water holes and blue colouring represents the rivers and coasts, with the brown, yellow and orange mountains representing the desert and the rugged landscape. These different environments make up our beautiful country Australia and the many locations near and far that patients originate from.
The 3 handprints in the top left corner represent Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander people and non Indigenous Australians, as well as cross cultural communication and respect between cultures. The green handprint, Dhari and green and white lines represents Torres Strait Islander people, the red and yellow handprint and the red boomerangs within the orange lines representing Aboriginal people, with the blue handprint and blue lines within the orange lines represents non Indigenous Australians.
The footprints which walk throughout the painting symbolises the patients and their journeys in managing their pain, after they have worked with the Health Care Professionals at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.