Stella Kon’s iconic character, Emily of Emerald Hill, has been given life by many actors in numerous productions since the play was written in 1982.

Now, it is presented in a fresh way, with the script published as a fine art edition book limited to 750 copies with 20 artworks by Kelly Reedy.

Just as audiences have seen Emily’s home at Emerald Hill represented in stage sets lavish or minimalist, realistic or abstract, and Emily performed as larger-than-life, introspective or coy, Emily of Emerald Hill is discovered anew here via the medium of visual arts.

Commissioned to create symbolic images representing specially chosen characters and scenes from the play, Reedy worked exclusively in the medium of collage, combining elements from the different cultural heritages that make up the Peranakan world, including Malay inspired batik fabrics, Chinese traditional paper cuts, as well as references to the British Colonial era.