Bunjil's Nest
Sunday, July 01, 2012 -
Tuesday, July 31, 2012,
9:00 AM -
5:00 PM
Williamson Gallery
Admission: Free
Bunjil's
Nest is a collaborative sculpture created by local
school students working with local Indigenous artists, reflecting
traditional stories of the Wathaurung people and expressing their
own ideas for sustainability.
Bunjil the Eagle is the creator spirit
of the Kulin nation, which includes the Wathaurung people,
traditional owners of the Ballarat region. Bunjil's Nest is an
activity developed last year by education staff at the National
Gallery of Victoria and available to tour this year through
Regional Arts Victoria which results in a collaborative sculpture
on show to Gallery visitors.
In the program, groups of upper
primary and lower secondary students came to the Gallery to hear
about the Wathaurung people and their creation myths from local
Indigenous painters Marlene and Deanne Gilson and textile artist
Bronwyn Razem. The students devised their own messages related to
reconciliation and sustainability and wrote them on sticks gathered
in the local area. They all then placed the sticks on a frame to
form a nest structure.
The Bunjil's Nest activity was
supported by a range of groups, including The Wathaurung Aboriginal
Corporation, the Koori Engagement Action Group, the Ballarat and
District Aboriginal Cooperative, Regional Arts Victoria, the City
of Ballarat, VicHealth through its LEAP program, Highlands Local
Learning & Employment Network and the Mason Family.
After the sculpture has been in the
Gallery it is expected that the sculpture will be taken to a
bushland location associated with Bunjil and allowed to
disintegrate naturally.