Kalorama

Shortlisted proposal for Kalorama Land Art commission

This is an unrealised shortlisted proposal for the Yarra Ranges Council ‘Land Art’ commission for Kalorama Park, as part of the greater ngurrak barring/ Ridgewalk plan. The proposal was a collaboration between Brian Martin and Moorina Bonini, supported by MAP.

Tarrang is a Boon Wurrung word for tree. By speaking to the memory, material practice and cultural agency of First Peoples and our cultural belongings, we can understand how trees are so much more than an object.

The concept for the project is to address the significance of the trees in the Dandenong Ranges and the impact of the recent 2021 storm event, whilst also highlighting on a broader scale, the non-human agency of trees and the significance of trees in First Peoples cultures.

Brian Martin has explained in Bundjalung language there are many different words which speak to this significance of trees including ‘bunggabi’ and ‘ganggil’ which means the shoulder of a person, how your arm connects to your shoulder, and also translates as the branch of a tree joining a trunk. This word has plural meanings, as it also describes the wing of a bird (Andrew and Martin, 2020).

The proposal located a group of 60-80 salvaged trees on the sloped site of Kalorama park. Brought down by the 2021 storm event, the trees are attentively re-sited, each supported by an armature and tended to and dressed with rope. The trees are positioned upright, slightly out of the ground and at various slight angles. They appear to be dancing or moving gently in the wind. They evoke a sense of vibrations, that they are communicating with each other and us, we are part of an interconnected system. The tree positions are defined by a pattern marked out on the ground, a circular form that marks out a place of gathering, with a central meeting point, a yarning circle, a nourishing and active place of cultural practice.

Moorina Bonini and Brian Martin’s work connects through the premise of mark making, through practice and materialisation of culture and the relationality of trees to Country and Place.