Judith Nangala Crispin
Assembly (The Modelled Forms)
This poem was commissioned in response to Angelica Mesiti’s three-channel video installation, ASSEMBLY.
Assembly (The Modelled Forms) by Judith Nangala Crispin is an ekphrastic poem, commissioned in partnership with Red Room Poetry with the intention of amplifying connections between poetry and works in the national collection. An ekphrastic poem is a vivid description, written in response to a work of art.
Judith Nangala Crispin is a poet, visual artist, motorcyclist and volunteer firefighter, living on unceded Yuin Country in Braidwood, on the NSW Southern Tablelands. She has published two collections of poetry, The Myrrh-Bearers (Puncher & Wattmann) and The Lumen Seed (Daylight Books). Judith is a descendant of Bpangerang people from the Murray River, and also acknowledges heritage from Ireland, Scotland, France, Mali, Senegal and the Ivory Coast. Judith spends part of each year living and working with Warlpiri people in the Northern Tanami Desert. Much of her writing focuses on issues of displacement and identity ambiguity. Judith was the winner of the 2020 Blake Prize.
![](https://media.nga.gov.au/BoMMZ__Xh5ZR9h3VdSIOnbtbx6E=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/ASSEMBLY_Installation_Images_Photo_Josh_Raymond-2.jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY, 2019 (installation the view), National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, image courtesy and © the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, photograph: Josh Raymond.
![](https://media.nga.gov.au/fkRtSBoT8ZKEl-xwGXrSZdL4LMI=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/Angelica_Mesiti_ASSEMBLY_2019_7.jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY (production still), 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Angelica Mesiti. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, © photography: Bonnie Elliott © photography: Bonnie Elliott
![A persons hands playing the piano keys](https://media.nga.gov.au/qKpugD-wn8yqLRk7CcdOqBPvKO8=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/Angelica_Mesiti_ASSEMBLY_2019..jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY (production still), 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Angelica Mesiti. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, © photography: Bonnie Elliott © photography: Bonnie Elliott
![A photograph of a woman with dark hair, profile, leans forward holding up a hand and index finger](https://media.nga.gov.au/XX9FhoAnKzXLp6svKLCvhDzlIU0=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/Angelica_Mesiti_ASSEMBLY_2019.jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY (production still), 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Angelica Mesiti. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, © photography: Bonnie Elliott © photography: Bonnie Elliott
![A group of people playing neon drums in a darkly lit room](https://media.nga.gov.au/4Vaa4O4RtQhx37J-h0rfGRpmfnM=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/Angelica_Mesiti_ASSEMBLY_2019_..jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY (production still), 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Angelica Mesiti. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, © photography: Bonnie Elliott © photography: Bonnie Elliott
![](https://media.nga.gov.au/ol_YZem-Rdx3s3C3IxFQTpRJct0=/0x600//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/Angelica_Mesiti_ASSEMBLY_2019_-_13.jpg)
Angelica Mesiti, ASSEMBLY (production still), 2019, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, purchased 2019 © Angelica Mesiti. Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery, © photography: Bonnie Elliott © photography: Bonnie Elliott
![Red speech bubble logo with the words 'Red Room Poetry' inside the bubble](https://media.nga.gov.au/cN7G8E4ilJ74CghBg2lIS24Cgg0=/adaptive-fit-in/1200x1200//national-gallery-of-australia/media/dd/images/RRP.png)
In partnership with Red Room Poetry.