A meaningful work by established public artists, Wurundjeri Elder Aunty Kim Wandin and Chris Joy, with Collide Public Art will be the first permanent art piece installed on ngurrak barring/RidgeWalk trail.

The installation will take place in the coming months (date to be confirmed), with an adjacent event for the local community from Kalorama, Mount Dandenong and surrounds to participate in planting endemic plants with cultural significance around the sculpture and participate in a creative cultural ceremony.

Djirra Binak honours the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Owners of the Dandenong Ranges/Corhanwarrabul, their Woi Wurrung Language and ancestral relationships. Aunty Kim says “the artwork is a celebration of Country. Being on Country and working with natural materials connects me to my land and Ancestors, protecting and preserving intimate knowledge for future generations. Djirra is the reed (Lomandra longifolia) that lives on Wurundjeri Country providing sustenance in a broad range of ways. Binak is the basket, the symbol of women providing for family. It’s the vessel for holding, nurturing and caring.”

The sculpture will consist of eight printed toughened digiglass panels capped with aluminium framing. The layered glass will sit centred in a planting of djirra. When at the centre, the viewer aligns themself with the glass panels; they bring disparate elements together, seeing ‘the whole’ basket for the first time. When not aligned, the panels provide abstract impressions.

The artwork was chosen by the ngurrak barring Creative Panel for its response to the project vision for ngurrak barring, which was authored by the community in 2019, including its cultural significance, its reflection of the environment, and its potential to transform people’s understanding of the region.

The artists chose the site opposite Falls Rd, Kalorama adjacent to the trail because people can enjoy elements of the bush while being able to “look out and gaze over Country.”

Significantly, research undertaken for ngurrak barring revealed the site was used as an Aboriginal gathering site in the early 20^th Century, as noted by a Kalorama resident, Mr A Dodd, who lived there at the time.*

The artists also acknowledged the significance of the site for the local community after the 2021 storm, as a site of destruction and loss of many old trees.

“The artwork is a chance to pause and reflect and connect to the present with the sculpture being a reminder of Aboriginal people caring for country. 'Heal the people heal the land,' as Archie Roach sang.”

More detail on the community planting event and ceremony will be provided in the coming months.

Source: McGivern, M. 1972. Aboriginal of the Dandenong Mountain. Croydon