Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the City was proud to launch the artwork as part of Corroboree Sydney, one of the largest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultural festivals in Australian history. “These ‘Place Projections’ were created for the City’s Eora Journey, which acknowledges and celebrates the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture in the public domain,” the Lord Mayor said.
The City’s Eora Journey celebrates the living culture of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community in Sydney. Under the City Art program, seven public art projects will be developed over the next 10 years, including a major monument to the Eora Nation.
Corroboree Sydney (November 14-24) featured performances, exhibitions, films, food and events, including a children’s street parade in the heart of the city, a Black Arts market, festival hub with food and drinks at Walsh Bay, and a “firelight” ceremony.
The City contributed $50,000 to the festival, which was also supported by Destination NSW and the NSW government. The annual event is expected to attract 55,000 regional, inter-state and international visitors over the next three years.
Ms Foreshew works across a range of mediums, including photomedia, design, sculpture and film and has had work exhibited at the Art Gallery of NSW. She said her Australian Museum work, “Born in darkness before dawn, 2013”, explores the concept of place and traces her personal histories and connections to communities across the state.
“The artwork responds to the Australian Museum site, because it holds a huge amount of Aboriginal archaeological collections and objects, some of which directly relate to areas where my Mum and Grandfather were born,” Ms Foreshew said. “And that massive building is windowless so you can’t actually grasp the amazingness of what this building has and what it can offer artists, Aboriginal people and the broader public through its collections.”
Australian Museum Assistant Director, Steven Alderton, said: “Artists such as Ms Foreshew, through their work, forge a personal connection with the voices of the past to speak directly to a contemporary audience.
Australian Museum proudly pays tribute to the resilience and adaptability of our first inhabitants whilst also celebrating the spirit of friendship, and the power of genuine collaboration between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people.”
The development of the Corroboree Sydney program was led by creative director Hetti Perkins, Jumbunna Indigenous House director Professor Michael McDaniel, along with nine of Sydney’s major arts and cultural institutions, including the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Sydney Opera House and Royal Botanic Garden.
Throughout the festival, Pier 2/3 at Walsh Bay was home to the Corroboree festival hub, offering Sydneysiders, visitors and city workers a place to gather for refreshments, enjoy bush-food themed dinners and attend workshops, performances, screenings and talks on the harbour’s edge.
The projections were officially launched on Tuesday November 19 and will continue each night until the end of February 2014.
To see a video of Nicole Foreshew discussing her work, click here.
