Fire Place
Fire-Place was a unique cross-cultural collaboration by lead artist Catherine Larkins, artist Frances Harrison (Gunai Yuin Monaro), cultural adviser Lennie Hayes (Gunai Bidawal), upholsterers Aaron and Kym Stroud-Smith, technician Gary Belskyi and the community of Lakes Entrance.
Fire Place offers a distinct perspective on the modern-day and the ancient past. The ‘bush lounge room’ setting includes a kangaroo skin couch, a TV screening Koori campfire footage, a Mirrigarn or spirit dog, a chimney and fire place made from domestic briquettes and a pseudo-electric log fire. The surfaces are transformed into a stunning canvas of stories from GunaiKurnai country about the timeless cycles of fire. The installation represents a ground breaking mix of ‘blackfella – whitefella’ culture, ideas and materials.
This is the dream time story of how fire came to the GunaiKurnai people. “There was a time when the people had no fire; the fire was kept by two old women. Bimba-towera the Fire Finch wanted to get some fire for the mob, he was ‘gammon’ to be friendly to the old women, he acted ‘deadly’ around them so they let him stay at the camp. So Bimba-towera grabbed the coals and carried them on his ‘moom’. He flew back to the mob and gave the coals to the GunaiKurnai people, the people made a fire. Today Bimba-towera still carries the red spot on his tail.”
The project was part of a state-wide initiative by Regional Arts Victoria called Illuminated by Fire. The work was installed at Federation Square along with nine other community driven art works made in response to the 2009 Black Saturday Bush Fires as part of the Light In Winter Festival 2011.