Long winding trail

In keeping with Ellen Jose's tendency to combine exploration of the personal with wider external issues, 'Long winding trail' is both an intimate homage to her father and his soldier persona, and a reference to events of global consequence. Gregorio "Gorie" Phillipe Jose, the uniformed infantry serviceman of Torres Strait Islander, Filipino and Portuguese descent, who is featured in the work, served during the Second World War in New Guinea, mostly on Bougainville. The long winding trail of the title refers to the marches and journeys undertaken by Jose and his fellow servicemen during active duty, but also to the iconic Kokoda Trail. The repeated shadowy figure of Jose, standing at ease, forms a diagonal counterpoint to the layered and symbolic forms within which it is repetitively embedded. The figure is thus shown as stationary yet mobile, and the trail leads from one blue edged shore to another. 'Long winding trail' can be viewed as a composite phenomenon. It is part of the rich cultural heritage which is central to Jose's work; and in addition to its discrete and complex compositional statement, it is a brilliant fragment in Jose's diverse practice. The work is one element in a portfolio of many luminous parts.