Acknowledging Place
Author(s)
McGregor, Carol
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2018
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Research Background
McGregor’s Acknowledging Place (2018) is a public interactive sculpture displayed at Broadbeach during Festival 2018, a celebration of culture during GC2018 – the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The large-scale cottonwood leaves in the colours of the Aboriginal flag aimed to make the audience ponder what was here. To not only acknowledge the traditional guardians, the Yugambeh people, of the land they are walking on but also think about the environmental effects colonisation had on our environment with introduced species and European land management practices. For example - why are there not many ...
View more >Research Background McGregor’s Acknowledging Place (2018) is a public interactive sculpture displayed at Broadbeach during Festival 2018, a celebration of culture during GC2018 – the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The large-scale cottonwood leaves in the colours of the Aboriginal flag aimed to make the audience ponder what was here. To not only acknowledge the traditional guardians, the Yugambeh people, of the land they are walking on but also think about the environmental effects colonisation had on our environment with introduced species and European land management practices. For example - why are there not many cottonwood trees here anymore? The leaves, curved and shaped to form a shelter, similar to a traditional Aboriginal hut invited an interactive contemplative resting place. Research Contribution The cottonwood tree was an important resource for the Traditional Owners, the Yugambeh people. Specifically, the inner bark of the tree provided fibre for making nets and dilly bags, the leaves and flowers were used for medicinal purposes and the young shoots and roots were eaten. The leaves are the three colours of the Aboriginal flag created by Harold Thomas who states the symbolic meanings as: Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector. Red – represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual relation to the land. Research Significance Acknowledging Place is a Festival 2018 Commonwealth Games commission from the South Stradbroke Indigenous Artist Camp, a Gold Coast City Council initiative. A participant of The City of Gold Coast's Indigenous Artist Camp in 2015 and in 2017 camp assistant mentor, a Gold Coast City Council initiative.
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View more >Research Background McGregor’s Acknowledging Place (2018) is a public interactive sculpture displayed at Broadbeach during Festival 2018, a celebration of culture during GC2018 – the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games. The large-scale cottonwood leaves in the colours of the Aboriginal flag aimed to make the audience ponder what was here. To not only acknowledge the traditional guardians, the Yugambeh people, of the land they are walking on but also think about the environmental effects colonisation had on our environment with introduced species and European land management practices. For example - why are there not many cottonwood trees here anymore? The leaves, curved and shaped to form a shelter, similar to a traditional Aboriginal hut invited an interactive contemplative resting place. Research Contribution The cottonwood tree was an important resource for the Traditional Owners, the Yugambeh people. Specifically, the inner bark of the tree provided fibre for making nets and dilly bags, the leaves and flowers were used for medicinal purposes and the young shoots and roots were eaten. The leaves are the three colours of the Aboriginal flag created by Harold Thomas who states the symbolic meanings as: Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector. Red – represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual relation to the land. Research Significance Acknowledging Place is a Festival 2018 Commonwealth Games commission from the South Stradbroke Indigenous Artist Camp, a Gold Coast City Council initiative. A participant of The City of Gold Coast's Indigenous Artist Camp in 2015 and in 2017 camp assistant mentor, a Gold Coast City Council initiative.
View less >
Note
The large-scale cottonwood leaves in the colours of the Aboriginal flag aimed to make the audience ponder what was here. The leaves are the three colours of the Aboriginal flag created by Harold Thomas who states the symbolic meanings as: Black – represents the Aboriginal people of Australia. Yellow circle – represents the Sun, the giver of life and protector. Red – represents the red earth, the red ochre used in ceremonies and Aboriginal peoples' spiritual relation to the land.
Subject
Visual arts
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, language and history