In Future Country: Country Road x NGV First Nations Commissions
Mentored by Aunty Lola Greeno
Ian Potter Centre, Federation Square, National Gallery of Victoria (acquisitive commission)
Shell stringing is a cultural practice passed down to us from our ancestral grandmothers and carried through our families. Marina shell necklaces have become emblematic of our community and culture – representative of the cultural knowledge that ties us to our ancestors and our land.
Due to the violent dispossession of our ancestors from our land, our community today is spread across Lutruwita and beyond. But our culture will always remain grounded in our home country – as we continue to push for its return to Aboriginal ownership.
This work represents the story of our people: we are present here through our cultural forms and through our country itself. Each ceramic shell in this work is glazed only with materials harvested from our ancestral lands. Set in patterns inspired by the tides, the arrangement symbolises our journeys away from and back to our home country – throughout our lives and across generations. Their larger-than-life scale alludes to the profound significance of this form within our culture.
The survival of the practice of shell stringing faces serious threats from industry, climate instability, and the declining health of our oceans. Ceramic shells in this work serve as stand-ins for an increasingly rare cultural resource.
