Elizabeth Close
The artwork is the creation of contemporary Aboriginal artist Elizabeth Close, a Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara woman and Flinders alumna, who graduated from the University with a Bachelor of Nursing in 2011.
This artwork responds to and reflects the incredible natural landscape in and around Flinders, whilst activating the space in a dynamic and energising way. The artwork seeks to place into stark relief, the elements of earth and water, coast and landscape; sun, flora and fauna.
The motifs that are woven through the landscape, reference a number of things; they reference the Connection to Country and landscape that we as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have. It symbolises the custodianship and responsibility that we feel to the habitat of our flora and fauna and our relationships with the landscape. This artwork speaks to the concept of journey - of walking in two worlds to become leaders within community. This coupled with the signage of Aboriginal Language Groups and/or Welcome to Country will truly be underpinned by our Connection to place and space and how this is enmeshed within our personhood. It seeks to bring a sense of the landscape into the space; to inspire, inform and delight. It also seeks to tell the narrative of many students coming to Kaurna Yerta from all across Australia to walk together and learn together.
This concept explores both Connection to Country and speaks to the Landscape around Yunggorendi, but it also deeply explores and speaks to the concept of many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people travelling to Kaurna Yerta and Yunggorendi to undertake their studies, bringing with them the knowledge, wisdom and understanding of their own Language Group/s and standing together as one. Students are represented as being the landscape, as opposed to a western understanding of simply existing on the landscape. This is represented by the use of different patterns within the broader landscape - the circular motifs representing the landscape of water nations, the fine lines representing the landscapes of inland nations, the thicker lines representing the alpine and thick forests on the eastern seaboard and the dots representing the landscapes of rock country. None of these symbolise song lines from specific nations - they simply speak broadly to the landscape as a means to symbolise diversity and that concept of coming together as one on Kaurna Yerta to learn and engage.
This bold and dynamic concept speaks to the concept of a journey - using the imagery of water to speak to the narrative of coming together to undertake a journey of learning and understanding. The dots represent the coming together of students from different Nations and Language Groups who are on a common path - one of learning and understanding so that they may decide to return to their Nations to continue their journey post-tertiary education, or seek to either stay or move elsewhere. It is a common journey of walking in two worlds so that we may collectively strive towards true empowerment and self-determination as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People.
This concept is characteristic of a number of my works and in this case it speaks to the concept of walking in two worlds - of coming to Kaurna Yerta to undertake a journey of learning, bringing with them the wisdom and understanding from their own nations to undertake learning that will enable the student to empower themselves and their people. The circles represent that learning journey, the dots representing the students. The drips represent the relative regency of non-Aboriginal ways of knowing and understanding - in stark difference to the ancient ways of knowing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The paint is literally still wet on Tertiary Education as we understand it, but when combined with Aboriginal ways of knowing; we are unstoppable.
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