This document provides an analysis of the art work "Invocations #5" by Australian artist Tracey Moffatt. It discusses how the piece is part of Moffatt's 13-part series that draws from her subconscious to create surreal and nightmarish scenes. Invocations #5 depicts a vulnerable indigenous woman threatened by ravens, incorporating references to childhood stories and films. The artwork provokes questions about interpretation and could be used in an English class to encourage critical thinking about language and the creative process. Students would be tasked with recreating the piece based on their own dreams to appreciate diverse interpretations.

1. EDSE4027 Teaching English 3
Portfolio of Teaching and Learning Resources
Resource 2
Invocations #5
Tracy Moffatt (2000)
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2. Tracey Moffatt, one of Australia’s most prolific and successful contemporary artists, is known
widely for her unique photo-silkscreens that delve into the self-described surreal realm of the
“dark underworld, the murk in all of us, the subconscious” (James, 2001). In her thirteen-part series
titled Invocations (2000), currently on display at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Moffatt
draws from the expanse of her own arcane subconscious to create a disjointed fairytale world that is
both frightening and fantastic. The series, which sees the lost and vulnerable stumble through eerie
and nightmarish scenes, is also rich with intertextual references; within each artwork lies some twisted
version of a childhood animation, Hitchcock movie, or tale of the Brothers Grimm (MCA, 2016).
In triggering the shared cultural memory of her audience, Moffatt captures each onlooker within the
highly dramatic and personal scenes; indeed, upon prolonged contemplation, the artworks begin to
appear as if born from one’s own mind, from the remnants of one’s nightmares (Healy, 2005).
Evidently, the thirteen images in Moffatt’s Invocations offer an uncanny excursion into the otherworld;
the series’ title, which literally means to call upon or appeal to, thus refers both to the content of the
art (i.e. an invocation to the fantastic) and its audience (i.e an invocation to their subconscious).
The cold and manipulative air of the series, which is best reflected in the remote blue tones and visual
frailty of the fairy-tale backdrops, leaves little room for empathy (Clarke & Costall, 2008, p. 407).
Instead, the artworks feel malicious and mystifying. In Invocations #5, the young woman’s faceless
and contorted form, which stands clothed only in a sensually-delicate night dress, is jarring to the
audience - for while one longs to save the woman from the sharp beaks of the Hitchcock-like and
Poe-invoking ravens, they deeply fear crossing the threshold into the truly nightmarish scene.
The Indigenous ethnicity of the protagonist, which seems at odds with the predominately ‘white’
characters of the original texts, causes one to question her presence in the perilous artwork, and in
turn, their ignoble inability to save her. Undoubtedly, as one grapples with the cruelty and moral
ambiguity of this piece, they struggle to ascertain whether Moffatt’s rhetoric is intentionally
“disarming, ironic, or cynical” (MCA, 2016).
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3. For students engaging with the HSC English Extension 1 elective Textual Dynamics (Mod. C, Elec. 1),
this artwork is evidently of particular use as both an in-class and related text. Despite lacking in the
written word, Moffatt’s Invocations #5 is a compelling visual example of how “ideas and experiences”
can be transformed into texts “through insight, imaginative powers, and stylistic ingenuity” (BOSTES,
2009, p. 82). Indeed, considering its diverse intertextual references and rich cultural, political, and
social commentary, the ‘language’ of the piece extends far beyond the already complex visual.
Evidently, Invocations #5 could be used as either an introductory stimulus to the idea that language is
multi-faceted and layered or to the idea that it is capable of “transform(ing)…and impassion(ing)”
responders (BOSTES, 2009, p. 82). Rising in complexity, this text could also be used to promote a
critical analysis of how authors employ “cleverness” and “narrative playfulness” to interact with and
invert other texts; in doing so, students might discuss “how these active and vital relationships reflect
values” (BOSTES, 2009, p. 82). Finally, as a related-text, Invocations #5 resonates strongly with the
poetry of Wallace Stevens, which also contends deeply with the “elusiveness and tangibility of
language and meaning” (BOSTES, 2013, p. 150). When compared, students are able to investigate
how two starkly different representations embody complex thematic content to provoke controversy
and debate.
Moffatt’s Invocations #5 is particularly suitable for high-achieving students who may be locked into
the dogmatic thinking that there is one ‘supreme’ interpretation of a text. As Chambers and Gregory
explain, it is “inappropriate and counterproductive to teach in a manner that suggests texts may be
known ‘correctly’” (2006, p. 124). Indeed, this only encourages the tenets of performativity and
ignores the central characteristics of the disciple as abstract, complex, and richly dynamic. Instead,
one may use Moffatt’s artwork to encourage advanced students to think critically about language,
problematise the authorial process, and imagine alternative possibilities (Garrison, 1991, p. 291).
One activity that would promote such pedagogy would be that of an inquiry-based reconstruction task
whereby students are asked the question: ‘do you remember your dreams?’ Students are encouraged to
then recreate Moffatt’s work in light of their responses, and so undertake their own authorial process,
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4. incorporating new and diverse content and personal values. In turn, students recognise and appreciate
a completely unique interpretation of their own creation. To conclude, students may take turns
presenting their original piece to the class, verbally deconstructing the language they have used to
make meaning and convey values. In doing so, students engage not only in critical thinking, but also
in creativity and self-expression.
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References
Chambers, E., & Gregory, M. (2006). Teaching and learning English literature. London: SAGE.
Clarke, T., & Costall, A. (2008). The emotional connotations of colour: A qualitative investigation.
Color Research and Application, 33(5), 406 - 410.
Garrison, D. (1991). Developing critical thinking in adult learners. International Journal of Lifelong
Education, 10(4), 287 - 303.
Healy, J. W. (2005). Creating surreal art. Teaching Pre K - 8, 35(6), 30 - 32.
James, B. (2001). Interview with Australian artist Tracey Moffatt. Retrieved from http://
www.abc.net.au/rn/legacy/programs/atoday/stories/s229128.htm.
Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA) (2016). Tracey Moffatt: Invocations 2000. Retrieved from
http://www.mca.com.au/collection/work/2013701/.
New South Wales Board of Studies (2009). English Stage 6 Syllabus. Sydney: New South Wales
Board of Studies.
New South Wales Board of Studies (2013). English Stage 6 Prescriptions: Area of Study, Electives and
Texts (2015-2020). Sydney: New South Wales Board of Studies.
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