Shirley Batty
Cane toads are forever, hold one up and then caress it
Touch it, stroke it and undress it
Touch it, stroke it and undress it
I made a catsuit and scattered bat appliqués over it made from culled cane toad skins. 300 cane toads were introduced to QLD in the 1930s and they have since become a major pest, with no natural predators it’s numbers have swelled up to 200 million posing a major threat to biodiversity. Designer Lia Tabrah and creative Perina Drummond travelled to the Top End to work with Indigenous park rangers to ethically and humanely source cane toad leather for Melbourne designers and artists to create custom works for Toad Busting!
Cane toad appliques, and a cane toad skin bat mask completes the flaming mesh look.
Bat earrings by Doodad and Fandango
Photos by Eryca Green
