• Local
  • Episode 5: Mary Burns

Episode 5: Mary Burns

Local by Emmalie Kyle

Episode notes

Mary Louise Burns is a textile artist and educator based in Queenstown, Tasmania, who places great emphasis on recycled materials and sustainable fashion. Emmalie and Mary met at her pop-up shop filled with vintage and antique goods and Mary’s own sustainable, wearable art, on Orr Street in 2018. Ever since their meeting they became incredibly close friends and worked together on a number of projects. When recording first began for the podcast, Mary visited Emmalie at her home on a rainy summer afternoon and was the first local artist Emmalie interviewed. Mary discusses finding her home in an old blacksmith’s cottage, the origins of her craft, her love of colour and whimsy, fashion as wearable art, hunting and eating witchetty grubs and the need for a good battle helmet.