MORNINGTON Peninsula Shire’s senior social planner Aboriginal culture and community development Deborah Mellett with Lionel Lauch, of Living Culture, and the NBN’s general manager partners and performance Sharda Symons.
Mornington Peninsula Shire has collaborated with NBN Co and six Aboriginal groups on a project to wrap 16 NBN street cabinets, or nodes, in art.
The project promotes the relationship between the shire and the traditional owners through its arts and culture and reconciliation action plans.
The mayor Cr Despi O’Connor said the pieces “beautify the streetscapes and give the First People living on, or visiting the peninsula, visibility as they see their culture proudly on display”.
“Art is what shapes us,” she said. “It takes us on a journey of discovery and is an important part of our everyday life.
“The project celebrates our First Peoples’ culture and stories, embodies the creativity evident on the Mornington Peninsula and stimulates and enriches community and visitors’ ideas and knowledge.
“The 16 artworks show us new ways to connect. We can find meaning in their stories and the communities they represent.”
Artist Lionel Lauch, of Living Culture, said his work Grandfather Sun at Mornington was “about healing and positive energy from the rays touching us like a hug”.
“My earth paintings educate people about Aboriginal culture and invite people to open their eyes and see what culture is there, all around us.”
The artworks are at Rosebud, Dromana, Rye, Mornington, Sorrento, Tootgarook, Hastings, Balnarring, Mount Eliza, Tyabb, Somerville, Flinders and Red Hill. Each has a QR code offering viewers information about the work and the artist.
GUNDITJMARA and Torres Strait Islander artist Lisa Waup, above, from Baluk Arts, with her node artwork “Community”. Picture: Tanya Fry
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 12 January 2021
