RIVER TOTEM REVIVAL
- a collaboration by
Joanne Currie Nalingu + Ian Waldron.
In October FireWorks Gallery was proud be part of a public art installation ‘River Totem Revival’ at the new STARS Herston facility of Royal Brisbane Hospital, commissioned through Australian Unity.
Joanne Currie Nalingu and Ian Waldron created these artworks in their respective studios, forming a dynamic collaborative installation in a large courtyard garden on the 4th floor of the facility.
Yungaburra-based Ian Waldron created seven 3.5m Bloodwood Totems, hand painted with a variety of colourfully striped markings and textured patterns. These are complimented in the adjacent garden spaces by three clusters of Joanne Currie Nalingu’s River Markers, sprouting from the undergrowth. Joanne’s hand painted aluminium and fibreglass forms echo her birthplace, the Maranoa River in Mitchell, and reference shield designs and her river lines works.
Together, this combination of sculptural forms also provide vibrant colour and an overwhelming enchantment to the courtyard garden spaces.
All parties are thrilled to have a contemporary Indigenous presence in the garden spaces, echoing a magical yet wholly natural environment.
“The concept of incorporating a contemporary expression of the Bloodwood Totems into the courtyard garden derives from the empowering nature of the Totem in my life. Having been a positive source of energy for growth, healing and comfort in my own life’s journey, the Totems are the most personal and potent symbol I could offer to the patients, staff, interns and visitors spending time at the Herston facility”
Ian Waldon 2020
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