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A Naval Novella

How do you try to understand what life is like for someone working in the armed services, more specifically, for someone who is trained for warfare and combat situations. How do you ask personal questions of a person you know is trained to kill? With someone who—when they meet you for this first time—instinctively thinks about how they would disable you, if needed? And after having assessed this as being relatively easy, presents the Navy culture and persona they have been trained to present to outsiders.

These are the questions Schwenk asked herself when she was commissioned to make art to celebrate the Royal Australian Navy’s 100-year anniversary of sailing into Sydney Harbour. As part of this commission, she stayed on the naval base at HMAS Penguin.

This film featuring interviews, physical workouts and anecdotes succeeds in demystifying the Navy by breaking down some of the barriers that exist between elite Naval personnel and civilians. It shows the human side of the Navy, and invitingly allows people to access this closed culture through a side door. The work is anchored by the naval tradition of tattoos and gruelling physical training that uses rope.

For the Navy, the rope is a symbol of union, mateship and stability. For the viewer, tattoos are symbols of humanity and individuality.

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