S H I P YA R D MEMORIES
DRAGICA VIDAKOVIC 2019
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
The Collingwood Shipyards, although closed since 1983, are an integral part of our community’s history. The shipyards were especially important during WWII, when they were commissioned to build corvettes and minesweepers destined for duty in the Royal Navy. After seeing the exhibit that the Collingwood Museum put on a couple of years ago, celebrating the 100 years of Collingwood Shipyards, I started to think about the women who worked there while the men were at war; the profound change to their lives, the new skills they would have to learn. I was so moved by the whole exhibit and the history, that it started me on a search for people who would still be alive to tell the stories. I wanted to hear firsthand what it was like. Especially from a woman’s perspective. I was introduced to Emma, who was a welder during the war, and spent hours listening to her stories. From the work itself, to the environment which could be brutally hot in the summer to freezing cold in the winter, with no room for relaxation or comfort. That was just the way it was! I hung on to every word and started to think about these stories as I would go for walks along the docks. Imagining myself being transported to a challenging time that would propel women to take on roles that had previously been reserved for men. To this day, I cannot walk along the shore without these fabricated images in my mind. The work in SHIPYARD MEMORIES is rooted in history and stories but are the product of my imagination. Part documentary, part fiction, like the way a play could have been written.
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Bowers Anchor 2018 8.5� x 6.75�
Pencil Crayon & Oil on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Buoy 2018 6.75” x 8.5” Pencil Crayon & Oil on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Collingwood Revisited-1 2017 6.5� x 8.75� Pencil Crayon & Graphhite on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Collingwood Revisited-2 2017 6.5� x 8.75� Pencil Crayon & Graphhite on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Emma 2018 48” x 72” Acrylic, Stain & Builder’s Chalk on Wood
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Ice Fishing 2019 8.5� x 6.75� Pencil Crayon on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Prop 2018 6.5� x 8.5� Pencil Crayon & Oil on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
After the Shift 1943 2018 10” x 12” Gouache, Pencil Crayon & Graphite on Wood
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Women of Steel 1943 2018 10” x 12” Gouache, Pencil Crayon & Graphite on Wood
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Pumps 2018 8.75” x 6.5” Pencil Crayon & Oil on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
Dragica Vidakovic Shipyard Memories
Sunset Evening 2018 8.75� x 6.5� Pencil Crayon & Oil on Terra Skin
dragica@dragicav.com
www.dragicav.com
705.888.2571
S H I P YA R D MEMORIES
DRAGICA VIDAKOVIC 2019