Oyster sculptures to invoke connection to country

Oyster sculptures to invoke connection to country
Edited by Travel Weekly


Yuwaalaraay designer Lucy Simpson’s oyster installations with accompanying soundscapes are planned for prime locations along Sydney Harbour.

This installation is part of a 9km foreshore walk highlighting historically significant Aboriginal sites, people, and stories. Guided by its Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Panel, the City of Sydney continues a series of conversations with local Aboriginal communities to gather and embed local narratives of place to share alongside the sculptures.

The installations are the latest component of a walk from Pirrama to Wallamool, curated by Emily McDanial, called the Yananurala. They depict clusters of mud flat oyster forms, once prevalent in the harbour, and sit at water’s edge locations that highlight relationships with other key sites across waterways. Audioscapes enhance the experience of being on Country, to bring to life the rich narratives of the harbour, and cultural and social heritage of the sites.

Simpson’s design for the Sitelines and Conversations sculptures was selected following an open callout for ideas for this phase of the long-term Tananurala project.

“These installations are a celebration of Country, story and relationships. They provide an invitation to connect to continuing ways of knowing and relating to Country,” Simpson said.

“People can sit, stand, touch and connect with these works, hold conversations with each other and with time, and tune in to Country and reflect on the deep layers of history and stories at these sites.

“What I loved about these oyster shell forms is a layering of time embodied in their shapes; you can read their experience and memory. Their growth rings are worn and aged as they’ve moved with the tides and rested in the sun. They also come from this first point of contact at Kamay (Botany Bay), a significant meeting point where histories collide, intertwine and sit atop one another. This place and these forms are complex and layered.”

Metropolitan local Aboriginal land council CEO, Nathan Moran, said: “Lucy Simpson’s oyster installations along the water’s edge will provide an opportunity for everyone to be immersed in the local culture when travelling into Country. You pay respect by becoming one with that Country.”

Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore AO, said: “These beautiful and functional artworks will encourage people to take a moment and connect with their surroundings and with the histories, stories and living culture of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.”

“Through their placement and arrangement, along with accompanying audio, the works tell stories of people and places and of community connection, resilience and stewardship.

“Sydney’s history, particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, includes events and attitudes that our current policies and initiatives need to redress. The impact of colonisation is particularly poignant along this coastline as the first site of invasion, so using it as platform to celebrate Aboriginal heritage and culture is powerful.

“It has long been the City’s policy to redress the imbalance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander recognition and perspectives in public spaces by investing in artworks by Indigenous artists. By acknowledging our shared past, we are laying the groundwork for a future which embraces all Australians, a future based on mutual respect and shared responsibility for this land.”

Development applications for the installations will be submitted later this year. The sculptures are expected to be installed in 2026.

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