See Siren Tasmania featured in the Life and Leisure magazine of the Australian Financial Review
Featured artists, makers and visionaries
If you’ve ever wondered if you need an ethically-sourced sheepskin bean bag the answer, of course, is yes. Bel and I have been friends for almost a decade and when I realised I had taken on a bigger project than I could handle on my own there was no one else I would call for help. Renowned stylist and sourceress (get it) and the only person who would spend weeks helping me choose the perfect black (because black is not just black), Bel’s vision was integral to getting Siren to where it is now.
After finding Laura, a.k.a. The Lady in the White Ute, online by googling “Tasmanian female furniture makers” I could not believe my good fortune that this is how I found one of Tasmania’s leading artisans for custom made furniture. After our first meeting in her workshop in Hobart with my friend, Adele, and baby Juniper, I knew it was meant to be. You’ll find 2 custom pieces of Laura’s design and creation at Siren Tasmania. I found a new friend.
I met Leisa in her workshop on the Mornington Peninsula after being introduced by a dear friend. Her skill and style are unmatched but I didn’t realise how much we would connect over lunch and a glass of wine. Fast forward and there was no one else I would go to create a custom glassblown halo chandelier to dangle perfectly over Laura’s dining table. Hanging this gave my electricians nightmares and I thank them for their service. You’ll also see a collection of Leisa’s smaller handmade treasures at Siren.
Where do I even start? Aneka is an enigma; a creative genius (not constrained by a singular medium) with an incisive, analytical mind. Aneka has curated a life and career that is uniquely her. It’s no surprise that her ability to find patterns and meaning in situations where others only see complexity means that she inhabits the world of risk and finance with as much style and creativity as she does the world of fashion, art, patronage and design. Aneka and I have been friends for over a decade and one of her pieces at Siren has a special place in my heart; it was exhibited in a gallery in Rome the first time she and I travelled together with me as her cheer squad (she’s been my cheer squad ever since)…and the most recent time was when she curated a multi-disciplinary installation taking over a palazzo in Florence. Ok then!
I encountered LIlli first as a photographer for Aneka Manners’ fashion label and then as one of the artists featured in the Luxury of Landscape exhibition curated by Aneka in Florence. Lilli’s personal story is fascinating and hers to share, and it influences the way she photographs women in an array of wild, natural landscapes. Lilli’s almost renaissance-style nudes are mesmerising, moody and dramatic and are photographed and presented from the female gaze. There are 3 of Lilli’s beautful artworks featured at Siren. You won’t be able to look away.
Diana is my exceptional sister-in-law but her relationship to me is the least interesting thing about her. She moved to Australia from Arizona in her early 20s and has forged a career in Australia that is as broad as it is meaningful. Diana’s photographic eye is keen and she sees beauty in quirkiness where others may not. Diana’s work with First Nations’ women has taken her to locations that many of us never see and she brings that experience to bear in her art. I am fortunate to have three of her pieces all featured in the King bedroom.
Lisa is a singular woman and artist. Her medium is flowers and, arguably, words. Living in Potts Point a decade ago and seeing her eponymous vehicle parked along Macleay St, to meeting her yet again through Aneka’s Luxury of Landscapes installation where Lisa’s unbelievable work was featured, I now experience the pleasure of deliveries of her treasures to my home. We are lucky enough to have one of her pieces, blush waratahs (swoon), captured at a moment in time and positioned beside a matching mirror that reflects the wildness of the landscape beyond. Lie on the custom made day bed and gaze up at them.
Judith is a poet and artist who creates otherwordly works from road kill, found objects, and time. I don’t know Judith personally - I wish I did - but her works evoke mysticism, timelessness and an unbreakable connection to place that draws you in and allows you to feel the energy from which they were created. They are as complex and thoughtful as she appears to be; I implore you to take the time to visit her website and learn more about this fascinating artist and human. This piece is titled Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, hatched in fire and lifting, triumphant over the burning Murray River, on an umbilicus of light. “Three still born guinea fowl chicks, hen lost to old age, acid, sand, vegemite and sesame seeds on fibre paper. Exposed 23 hours in a geodesic dome in natural sunlight”. Judith thank you for the genius that is your art.