“Having the iconography represented in this way feels like a billboard, an advertisement for our culture and things that we should be celebrating.”
Whadjuk Noongar stories are shining bright at the heart of Perth CBD, actively told and celebrated through a new art initiative.
Kambarni (aka Kamsani Bin Salleh) and Marcia McGuire are the talented artists behind a First Nations art installation, which has flourished amongst the prosaic concrete lanes edging 140 William Street. Kambarni and Marcia have used the CBD as a concrete canvas to relay Whadjuk Noongar stories through lofty, vivid and vibrant wall murals. The imagery extends the rich Aboriginal culture of storytelling, communicating memories and the lived experiences of people, celebrating family, a sense of place and a deep reverence for Indigenous womanhood.
“It’s good knowing that there’s a shift and people want to learn about Noongar cultures, which is something we can share,” says artist Kambarni. “It’s just a reminder of where we stand and that our culture hasn’t been taken away – people can find it if they look in the right spots.”
Marcia McGuire’s piece on Globe Lane features her grandmother May Stack (McGuire). “I want people to understand the importance of our women today and tomorrow – their strength, knowledge and intelligence,” she says. “I hope for a better future for my daughters.
“There are so many things I want to teach them about what our people went through, what life was like before ‘the suffering’ – how amazing they were and how they lived,” Marcia says. “People don’t hear that side – they don’t hear about all the love.”
Likewise, Kambarni’s work on Railway Lane was inspired by the support and encouragement he received from his grandmother, Sylvia May Thorne née Gillespie. It features traditional objects and creatures. “There’s an interconnectedness between our objects, our creatures and our Noongar people here, but also an interconnectedness of time,” explains Kambarni.
“The artwork speaks to the dual nature of life – fire and water; the masculine and the feminine; the natural world and the constructed; the past and the future.
“Having the iconography represented in this way feels like a billboard, an advertisement for our culture and things that we should be celebrating,” Kambarni says.
Commissioned by Cbus Property, the murals are just one part of an immersive and supportive creative program within 140 Perth’s newly created art space MAARAKOOL – which translates to “with the hands”. MAARAKOOL will feature artist talks and tours, a co-creation mural and printmaking workshops including painting skate decks. These sessions will be designed for artists, creatives, young professionals and inner-city workers of all ages, abilities and backgrounds to – quite literally – try their hand at art.
The two inaugural murals herald the first in a series of public artworks to be installed at 140 Perth, informed by cultural advisors, Barry McGuire and Carol Innes of Soft Earth. The duo lent their expertise on the project and artwork brief, and were able to educate stakeholders on Country, culture and community. They hope for 140 to become a space for the exchange of ideas, energy and life. “Traditionally, in line with Noongar wisdom, the site is located at a transitional meeting point between male and female Country,” explains Barry. “It’s a place for all to be.”
Carol believes those who visit the installation will experience a palpable sense of energy. “It’s an invitation to all those who walk through the precinct to feel the energy emulating from the artworks, an opportunity to learn about our culture and for these narratives to be grounded within this place,” she says.
Marcia is proud to be telling her story, and those of her people, to the wider population of Perth. However, most of all, she wants to continue with the tradition of passing down stories amongst Aboriginal people for preservation of culture. “I want our people to feel pride, to continue that education and share that knowledge before it’s too late,” she says. “We need to acknowledge the past and, although we can’t go back, we can walk forward together – our mob, our family groups and all of those who are non-Indigenous as well – every single person in the community.”
More information can be found at 140.com.au/art/maarakool.
Cbus Property 140 William Perth