Every Story Leaves a Trace
The Provenance Collective is dedicated to preserving stories shaped by migration, memory, identity, and lived experience.
At the heart of the collective sits The Scilla Project, a major body of research tracing the migration of Southern Italian families from Scilla, Sicily, and the Aeolian Islands to Australia.
From this foundation emerged a collection of interconnected works that preserve family histories, explore memory and identity, and ensure these stories continue to be shared across generations.
A Living Archive
Some histories are preserved in official records.
Others survive quietly in photographs, letters, recipes, conversations, and memory.
The Provenance Collective brings these fragments together, transforming personal histories, archival material, and cultural memory into enduring narratives that connect past lives to present understanding.
The Scilla Project
The Scilla Project is the foundation of The Provenance Collective.
Built on more than five years of archival research, oral histories, family records, and historical investigation, it documents the migration journeys, traditions, labour, language, faith, and memories carried by Southern Italian families across generations and oceans.
This body of work became the source from which the wider collective evolved.
Projects Born from The Scilla Project
Three interconnected works that transform research into storytelling, cultural preservation, and shared understanding.
My Dreaming
Ignorance, Arrogance & Prejudice
The Recipes She Carried
A fictional narrative inspired by documented history, bringing migration stories and family memory to life through accessible and emotionally resonant storytelling.
Explores how food, memory, and storytelling preserve identity, family history, and cultural traditions across generations.
Explores how fear, institutional power, and social pressure shaped the lives of migrant communities during times of uncertainty and war.
Begin a Conversation
Whether you are exploring a new project, preserving a story, or seeking creative collaboration, we would love to hear from you.
From archival research and family histories to documentation, storytelling, and cultural projects, every conversation begins with curiosity and connection.
If you have an idea to share, a question to ask, or a project you would like to discuss, please reach out below.