About
We are Sidetrack Design, two independent makers drawn together by a shared history and commitment to material inquiry, thoughtful process, and the sustaining rhythms of studio practice. Though each of us works independently, our connection lies in the quiet exchange of knowledge, support, and experience that has grown over years of making.
Our work is grounded in the tactile language of materials: metal, enamel, fibre, found and weathered things. We engage deeply with the histories and techniques of our disciplines, and we find meaning in repetition, labour, and the ways that making by hand draws us closer to memory, nature, and the body.
Sidetrack speaks to how our practice runs alongside the rest of our lives: a parallel track we return to, again and again. It may sit beside other roles – parent, teacher, worker – but it endures, steady and insistent. It is not a detour but a return, a rhythm we know in our bodies.
As a collective, we value autonomy, but we also recognise the importance of community and being in dialogue with others who understand the demands and pleasures of craft. While we each bring a distinct voice and lineage to our work, we are bound by a mutual respect for craftsmanship and an enduring curiosity for the process of transformation.
Barbara Cotter
Barbara Cotter’s practice explores the quiet intersections between material, memory, and the body. Working primarily in jewellery, her approach is shaped by a deep respect for traditional craft and an ongoing curiosity about the ways objects can hold and reflect emotional experience.
In her work, the personal and material are closely entwined. Pieces from her 2005 exhibition Mine Own Executioner reimagined the scars from a car accident as repoussé and enamelled brooches. These tensions continue to shape her practice: an ongoing negotiation between beauty and discomfort, permanence and change
Her pieces are tactile, intimate, and carefully considered: objects that honour the relationship between body and adornment. Weight, balance, strength, and comfort are given as much attention as aesthetics, allowing each work to live comfortably and confidently on the wearer.
Barbara holds a BA, Postgraduate Diploma, and Master's in Creative Arts from Curtin University. Her practice spans over thirty years and includes teaching, curating, and long-term work as a collection manager. She exhibits nationally and was co-curator of the 2024 Reflect|Refract JMGA National Award Exhibition.
Rooted in the rituals of daily life and the act of attentive making, Barbara’s practice embodies the Sidetrack ethos: returning, again and again, to the bench, the body, and the story held in the materials.
Selected Recent Exhibitions
2024 – Reflect|Refract, JMGA National Award Exhibition, Mossenson Galleries, WA
2021 – Counterpoint, curated by Prof Ted Snell, Stala Contemporary, WA
2018 – Want: Contemporary Jewellery from WA, Ellenbrook Arts Centre, WA
Michele Keogh
Michele Keogh’s practice is rooted in the quiet noticing of daily life – time spent in the landscape, shared moments with friends and family, and the stories that pass between them. Working in jewellery and hollow forms, her pieces reflect a deep sensitivity to both place and process.
She primarily works in copper, silver and gold, often incorporating stones or found objects. Techniques such as fabrication, weaving, embossing, etching, and electroforming give her work its layered, weathered feel – surfaces that suggest both fragility and endurance. Colour is used with intention, drawing on the rich palette of the Australian landscape.
Since graduating with a Bachelor of Visual Arts in Jewellery and 3D Design from Curtin University in 1992, Michele’s practice has evolved alongside other creative and professional roles. She has exhibited locally, nationally, and internationally, including in Tokyo, Chicago, San Francisco, and throughout regional and metropolitan Australia.
Her work speaks to the strength of quiet forms: objects that feel as though they have emerged slowly, shaped by memory, touch, and the passing of time. The handmade remains central as a means of attending to the world and honouring what might otherwise go unnoticed.
Selected Recent Exhibitions
2023 to 2025 – Fine Art at Hale, Hale College, Perth, WA
2015 – The Contemporary Jewellery Exchange, international online project
2008 – Spring, Linton Studio, Perth, WA
Contact
We welcome your enquiries, ideas and questions.