People travelling by CityCat between West End and The University of Queensland St Lucia campus on Saturday, December 2 will witness an unusual artwork involving local Indigenous people.
In preparing for this event, Los Angeles-based artist Dave Hullfish Bailey invited representatives of the local Indigenous community to propose an alternate route for the CityCat ferry.
Mr Bailey is one of a number of high-profile international and Australian artists participating in the exhibition TURRBAL-JAGERA: The University of Queensland Art Projects 2006, at the University`s St Lucia campus, December 2-17.
Curated by independent curator David Pestorius, the exhibition is located both in the galleries of the University Art Museum in The Mayne Centre, University Drive, and at other locations on the St Lucia campus.
Representatives of the local Indigenous community responded to Mr Bailey’s invitation by selecting a section of river between the UQ campus and the West End terminal.
"The particular location and nature of the route were determined by the Aboriginal participants in relation to a variety of factors, including the locations of specific Dreaming stories," Mr Pestorius said.
This artwork has been facilitated with the cooperation of respected Aboriginal elder Sam Watson Snr. of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit at The University of Queensland.
MetroLink has also played an important part in realising this event.
"The typical commuter, university student, or tourist aboard the CityCat – whose main concerns are either getting from A to B, or taking photographs of the scenery – will be reminded of a different way of mapping this ancient land, one involving Indigenous history and mythology," Mr Pestorius said.
Mr Bailey’s experimental re-mappings of the Brisbane River will also be seen in one of the University Art Museum galleries within The Mayne Centre, while a banner by Bailey hanging outside The Mayne Centre will feature a collage of photographs depicting that section of the river in which the alternative routing of the CityCat will occur.
In the gallery, Mr Bailey will present sound and text-based works that examine the river within a variety of historical, geographic, and social contexts.
He will also present an artist talk/"performance" with Sam Watson Snr. at the exhibition’s Project Club on Sunday, December 3 at 5pm .The Project Club will be located on Jocks Road (off Staff House Road) on the St Lucia campus.
"What Bailey does throughout his work is to dismantle our everyday understanding of social structures and information," Mr Pestorius said.
"Then, by reconnecting information in unexpected ways, he offers us new ways of understanding the world around us."
Earlier this year, Mr Bailey had a solo exhibition at the prestigious Vienna Secession, while in 2007 the artist will undertake an ambitious project for the CASCO Office for Art, Design and Theory in Utrecht.
Visitors can combine a trip on the CityCat with a walking or cycling tour of the many other artworks and events scheduled for TURRBAL-JAGERA: The University of Queensland Art Projects 2006. Parking on campus is free on weekends.
An Exhibition Guide, providing full details of the artists and events, along with a map of the St Lucia campus, is available from the University Art Museum.
The Dave Hullfish Bailey artwork has been generously supported by MetroLink.
The Queensland Government, through Arts Queensland, has provided funding to The University of Queensland to support TURRBAL-JAGERA: The University of Queensland Art Projects 2006.
TURRBAL-JAGERA: The University of Queensland Art Projects 2006
This exhibition is titled TURRBAL-JAGERA as a gesture of deep respect and cultural sensitivity to the traditional owners and custodians of the country on which The University of Queensland has been built. The included artworks explore and express themes and tensions that are intended to transcend borders and boundaries, and celebrate the higher elements of universal humanity and our interaction with the natural environment. The fact that we are carrying out this activity on Turrbal/Jagera land is in no way intended to make any assumptions about the cultural practice of the Turrbal/Jagera people, or the way in which they celebrate their place in the natural order of life.
In consultation with the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies Unit, The University of Queensland
For enquiries and further information, please contact:
David Pestorius, Project Coordinator
Mobile: 0412 119 9765
Email: dpg.hub@pacific.net.au
Website: www.davidpestorius.com/turrbal
Michele Helmrich, Curator – Public Programs
University Art Museum, The James and Mary Emelia Mayne Centre
University Drive, The University of Queensland, St Lucia
Tel: 07 3365 3046
Mobile: 0418 754 983
Email: artmuseum@uq.edu.au
Website: www.maynecentre.uq.edu.au
