This work responds to the theme of Melbourne Design Week 2026 and was created by Shea in collaboration with three other artists. Two Indigenous and two non-Indigenous, each artist worked with a different element and brought a different perspective to the piece. Most of the work is made from fused glass, fired in the kiln to create new textures. Below you'll see the finished work, along with images of it coming together.

Shea has been feeling strongly about how climate change is affecting the Torres Strait Islands. This work shows an Islander girl at sea, searching for a new home because her islands are no more. It also reflects on the future of the animals, especially the birds that travel between Papua New Guinea and Australia, whose journeys grow harder as time goes on. Some of the lowest-lying islands, like Saibai, are predicted to be underwater within 30 years, and Islanders will be forced to move to the mainland, leaving behind their homes, sacred sites and community.

If you'd like to support and join this movement to save the islands, please register at ourislandsourhome.com.au