Artists across four generations were involved in the creation of two murals at the Watson shops as part of a collaborative project between the Australian National University and Canberra’s indigenous community.
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The public artwork is the first in the Two Way Project which aims to bring to light issues of concern to local indigenous people and build public awareness around relevant public issues.
Project leader Dr Kirrily Jordan, from the ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, said her team was looking for a different way to get the message across.
“I've done a lot of work with Aboriginal communities around the country on policy issues, spending a lot of time trying to influence people and writing submissions to government and often having very little impact,” Dr Jordan said.
“This is a way to try and engage with the community in a different way, have an impact in a different way, to directly engage with people and facilitate them to tell their own stories in their own way.”
There were six main artists who led the mural project: Ngamrbi artists Dr Matilda House, Daniel Williams and his two young daughters Kaylee and Mya, and Soni Rogers; and Ngunnawal artists Adrian, Tina and Carl Brown.
For Daniel Williams, the opportunity to tell a particular story was very important. Williams, who once worked at Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve as a ranger, said his mural told the story of a journey to manhood, set in the Brindabella ranges.
The three mountains in the background represented the three stages of manhood, gatherer, hunter, warrior, as the journey followed the ancestral pathways of the ranges.
“And more importantly it’s about the connection back to country, about ownership and understanding,” he said.
“It doesn’t matter what background you are from, everyone has a responsibility to look after the environment, to respect the land.”
Ngambri elder Dr Matilda House said she would like to see something like this done in every suburb.
“We have to teach the younger generations about the stories, get the kids asking questions, and looking for answers.”
Adrian Brown’s mural is a striking yellow and brown depiction of a Murray cod.
“The cod was very significant in the stories of our people,” Brown said.
“The best thing about the project was while we were painting every second person who walked past commented on how beautiful they were, there was a real connection with the people.”
Dr Jordan is planning a series of workshops through 2018 to bring together different representatives from indigenous communities in Canberra to identify a set of priorities to be addressed by the program.
“Once we’ve identified those priorities we can put in applications for funding to get those projects off the ground,” she said.
The Two Way Project brings together ANU researchers from across indigenous policy research, visual arts, music and science communication. The mural is supported by ACT Transport Canberra and City Services, ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences and the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research. The program seeks to work on community art projects across a range of mediums.
