Description
Reclaim the Void was born from Ngalia elders in Leonora, Western Australia, expressing their pain and grief at ‘those gaping mining holes left all over our country’. The idea was conceived to symbolically ‘seal’ one of the holes, or an area of country affected by mining, with an artwork expressing the story of country.The project seeks to raise awareness of the story of country and its importance in Aboriginal culture in both its physical and spiritual dimensions.
Country is alive with story, song, dance, law, Tjukurrpa. When we wound country, we wound ourselves, and end up with a scarred physical and cultural landscape. Reclaim the Void is about acknowledging the hurt and contributing to restoration.
The ‘dot’ artwork, based on an original painting by Ngalia artist Dolly Walker, will be made up of thousands of handmade circular rag-rugs woven from discarded fabric by people from all walks of life and backgrounds.
Reclaim the Void is is a collaboration between the Ngalia Heritage Research Council (Aboriginal Corporation) represented by cultural custodian Kado Muir. and independent artist Vivienne Robertson. The project is informed by Ngalia Western Desert traditional knowledge, spirituality and culture and is immersed in the cultural custodianship of elders past, present and emerging.
Reclaim the Void: weaving country whole
