Saltwater Freshwater Carpark Mural in Studio Lane, Coffs Harbour.
To represent the NAIDOC 2024 theme ‘Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud and Proud’ long into the future, local Gumbaynggirr artist Tori Donnelly added to the vibrancy of our local lane creating a Deadly mural in the SWFW car park.
Inspired by the Fire Wisdom panel discussion that took place as part of our Cultural Revival Gathering - Fire Wisdom event on August 17 2024, Tori worked with the theme of Fire 🔥
About the piece....
“Fire Wisdom- nothing ever really dies, it just transforms”
Education facilitated through cultural burning provides a platform for people to witness in real time the ebb and flow of life and death, from the moment that fire is created to when it is placed down on country and fueled as it travels. The equilibrium of fire that is specifically cultural burns, is healing, calm and conscious to the point of being harmless. Making the death of the old and dry parts of our environment transform and transcend, creating a foundation of healthy, clean soil for new growth.
Conceptual story and meanings
Grey: smoke, ashes
Black: charcoal, burnt landscape, Gumbaynggirr people
White: sacredness, passing down of knowledge, initiation (cultural wellbeing)
Yellow: the hottest part of a cultural burn is in the yellow embers, note it is not blue as this is too hot for country (caring for country)
Orange: colours of fire, line motif inside the orange represents smoke
Red: colours of fire, depicted in this area are two tonalities, incorporating tally marks again to represent the cause and effect fire has on country, this also speaks into the relationship between fire and country.
Notes
The ebb and flow of movement across this mural is a reflection of cultural burning. Self determination is both associated with passing on valuable knowledge and the fire itself. First Nations peoples are the care takers, they are valuable to this landscape beyond colloquial comprehension
SWFW is grateful to Tori Ann for her passion and professionalism while working on this Deadly piece. 🔥
This National NAIDOC Week Activity is funded by the National Indigenous Australians Agency.