Heavens
The theme for Issue 40 of Garland is Heavens. This will be the third of our Storylines series.
This issue will include stories that feature elements from above, including stars, moon, clouds, sun and birds. The heavens provide a common reference for peoples who are from different parts of the world. It ties us to cycles of time beyond the daily grind.
This issue will be published on 1 September 2025. You can find guidelines for submitting a story here. The deadline for stories is 1 August 2025. Please let us know in advance of your idea here.
Here are some related stories from previous issues of Garland:
Leanne Wicks: A Knitted Bird Told Me - According to Pamela See, Leanne Wicks’ knitted birds have much to tell about the impact of European settlement
Bird, fish or somewhere in between - Sofia Björkman and Karin Roy Andersson together exhibit a series of works that animates discarded materials, re-forming nature out of detritus.
Treasures from Marege: Yolŋu-Makassan trade today - Diane Moon and Will Stubbs describe the exchange between Yolŋu and Makassan cultures that continues after their trade was banned.
Imagining a nostalgic future: The cosmic ceramics of Douglas Black - Liliana Morais explores the world of a US-born ceramicist who gives expression to planetarity from his self-built house in the mountains of Japan.
Dancing with stars: From light to dark from dark to light - Sebastian Blackie reflects on the celestial ceramics of Jane Perryman and Tom Hall writes about the accompanying soundtrack by Kevin Flanagan.
Mid-Autumn Festival: A time to make many blessings under the same moon - Wishing a long life to share the graceful moonlight, though thousands of miles apart. 但愿人长久，千里共婵娟
The soul of Feng Huang: An art of contemporary batik pesisir pattern - Enrico Ho captures the unique dialogue of Javanese and Chinese cultures in a mythical bird that fuses opposites.
Whakahoki: Returning to the lunar cycle in Māori culture - Keri-Mei Zagrobelna evokes an ancestor spirit to protect against the chaos of the new moon
Judith Crispin ✿ Picturing the gentleness of death - Alasdair Foster writes about the Lumachrome Glass Printing by Judith Crispin that renders decay in stillness.
Harry Nankin ✿ A starling falls to earth - A series of shadowgrams represent the poignant fate of a lone starling, once part of a shimmering murmuration.
Mother Whale and the creation of Nerrm: A Bunwurrang women’s dreaming story - Aunty Gail Koonwarra Dawson shares a creation story in which Melbourne's huge bay becomes a gift of life.
Heron story - Ilka White is inspired to make work in response to the bird on behalf of whom she speaks.
When the lorikeets call - Storied objects by Elisa Jane Carmichael reflect the enduring synchrony of species on her island of Minjerribah.
Pillan: The spirit of the volcano - The Mapuche silversmith Celeste Painepan Nicul tells how she acquired her cosmovision.
Blood moon: Ceramics for a fragile planet - Jane Sawyer witnesses a rare astronomical event, which prompts her to consider the planetary nature of the clay in her hands.
Saga Dawa: The blessing of the scriptures - Shruti Agrawal fulfils her father-in-law’s dream to visit the fabled Himalayan town of Gangtok, where she witnesses a remarkable Buddhist rite that brings life to sacred wisdom.
From Venice to Kyoto: Glass reflections of obi under the moonlight - Shoko Aono presents a poetic collaboration of Kyoto obi merchant, Kondaya Genbey, and Venetian glass artist Laura de Santillana
Ollas de barro y mezcal – Pots of clay and mezcal 🇲🇽 - Rion Toal details the exquisite skill involved in fermenting mezcal
Weaving land and people: the Gwen Egg story - In the third article about contemporary fibre artists, we venture south to explore the world of Gwen Egg. Egg’s life in fibre testifies to its power as a medium for binding the land with its peoples.