Where Stone Meets Sky
The installation Where Stone Meets Sky concept was developed by two artists, Alvin Darcy and Brodie Ellis working in parallel. This project involved creating two independent installations to be exhibited in dialogue while exploring the Leanganook mountain site on Djaara Country in Central Victoria. The parallel practice approach acknowledges the urgency of environmental concerns and the need to work together toward ecosystem care and interspecies adaptation. This research positions itself at the intersection of decolonial practice, environmental advocacy, and contemporary art, working toward more sustainable and equitable approaches to artistic engagement with Country.
Alvin Darcy
“In 1840, a gathering of Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung people—men, women, and children—met for a vital ceremony on Leanganook (Mt. Alexander). This sacred event was violently disrupted, severing a cultural connection that has, ever since, impacted the mountain's well-being. The disappearance of native flora, such as the Silver Banksia, serves as an early and stark indicator of this environmental decline.
My work highlights the necessity of Cultural Knowledge in restoring the health and vitality of this landscape.”
-ADB (Yorta Yorta and Taungurung, Ngarigo and Walbunja).
Installation
5 stacks of bark collected from the local area on steel rod stands, wooden pallets in various sizes with 4 ceramic skulls, 1 of the skulls is upside down and filled with water, 4 steel rods and a branch of silver wattle, lighting and granite that was collected from one of the many quarries on Leanganook.
Brodie Ellis
“I can see Leanganook from the hilltops surrounding the township where I live on Djaara Country. I watch as the weather gathers around the peaks of this great stone body. There are many tall granite boulders and large flat plateaus covered in mosses and lichens. High winds take down trees that often lack the depth of topsoil needed to support their root systems. Where once Wurrak (Silver Banksias) grew plentifully, now we find Long-leaved Box, Yellow Box, Blackwood, Manna Gum and Messmate, sometimes embedding themselves in the enormous boulders, melding onto the strength of the stone.
I focus my research at Leanganook specifically on public areas of disturbance such as car parks, quarries and walking tracks. I have created artworks using collected stone fragments for microscopy, to provide evidence of “dissipative structures” found in biology and the creation of geophysical forms. I collected clay impressions from fallen trees to substantiate this biological connection by echoing these Earth system dynamics.
My installation explores Leanganook’s geological history alongside the hydrology of a sister site in Laufenburg Switzerland where I was invited to take part in a residency and exhibition in 2024/25. Leanganook and Laufenburg, are conceptually connected through a nexus of stone and water flow dynamics. Both sites have had stone blasted by industrial exploitation.”
-BE
Installation
3 microscopy prints, 3 plinths in various colours, ceramic forms meander across the surface of each plinth, a vertical video Ghost Waterfall (9:53 minutes) on loop, headphones and shelf holding exhibition catalogues.
Event Details
- Date:
- 12 March 2025 at 12:00 pm – 15 March 2025 at 5:00 pm
- Venue:
- MADA Gallery
- Categories:
- Fine Art; Gallery / Exhibition; Gallery: MADA Gallery
Description
The installation Where Stone Meets Sky concept was developed by two artists, Alvin Darcy and Brodie Ellis working in parallel. This project involved creating two independent installations to be exhibited in dialogue while exploring the Leanganook mountain site on Djaara Country in Central Victoria. The parallel practice approach acknowledges the urgency of environmental concerns and the need to work together toward ecosystem care and interspecies adaptation. This research positions itself at the intersection of decolonial practice, environmental advocacy, and contemporary art, working toward more sustainable and equitable approaches to artistic engagement with Country.
Alvin Darcy
“In 1840, a gathering of Dja Dja Wurrung and Taungurung people—men, women, and children—met for a vital ceremony on Leanganook (Mt. Alexander). This sacred event was violently disrupted, severing a cultural connection that has, ever since, impacted the mountain's well-being. The disappearance of native flora, such as the Silver Banksia, serves as an early and stark indicator of this environmental decline.
My work highlights the necessity of Cultural Knowledge in restoring the health and vitality of this landscape.”
-ADB (Yorta Yorta and Taungurung, Ngarigo and Walbunja).
Installation
5 stacks of bark collected from the local area on steel rod stands, wooden pallets in various sizes with 4 ceramic skulls, 1 of the skulls is upside down and filled with water, 4 steel rods and a branch of silver wattle, lighting and granite that was collected from one of the many quarries on Leanganook.
Brodie Ellis
“I can see Leanganook from the hilltops surrounding the township where I live on Djaara Country. I watch as the weather gathers around the peaks of this great stone body. There are many tall granite boulders and large flat plateaus covered in mosses and lichens. High winds take down trees that often lack the depth of topsoil needed to support their root systems. Where once Wurrak (Silver Banksias) grew plentifully, now we find Long-leaved Box, Yellow Box, Blackwood, Manna Gum and Messmate, sometimes embedding themselves in the enormous boulders, melding onto the strength of the stone.
I focus my research at Leanganook specifically on public areas of disturbance such as car parks, quarries and walking tracks. I have created artworks using collected stone fragments for microscopy, to provide evidence of “dissipative structures” found in biology and the creation of geophysical forms. I collected clay impressions from fallen trees to substantiate this biological connection by echoing these Earth system dynamics.
My installation explores Leanganook’s geological history alongside the hydrology of a sister site in Laufenburg Switzerland where I was invited to take part in a residency and exhibition in 2024/25. Leanganook and Laufenburg, are conceptually connected through a nexus of stone and water flow dynamics. Both sites have had stone blasted by industrial exploitation.”
-BE
Installation
3 microscopy prints, 3 plinths in various colours, ceramic forms meander across the surface of each plinth, a vertical video Ghost Waterfall (9:53 minutes) on loop, headphones and shelf holding exhibition catalogues.