Janis’s doctoral research focused on Ipswich’s woollen textile industry. Her methods included interviewing former mill workers, a walk-though of the QWMC mill heritage site with those that worked there, as well as a spinning circle at the mill. In the process of learning about the mill’s industrial processes, Janis learned to spin and weave by hand.
The aim of Janis’s research is about community memories and heritage: to find ways to engage local communities in creating and engaging with different forms of interpreting heritage. This may be through exhibition, like the World War 1 heroes exhibition at the Mudgeeraba Lighthorse museum, engaging students in digital story telling, or collaborating with writers to reinterpret heritage images through fictional stories.
Janis is currently working on mapping former Chinese market gardens, engaging locals in seeking these places out, and creating interactive maps from what place and archives reveal.
The old woollen mill at North Ipswich will always claim a special place in Janis’s heart. There’s an edginess of the mill, accentuated by the street art, the bold sawtooth roof structure, and the ghosts of memories that seem to inhabit the rafters.
Parallel Threads - Entangled Ends 