The Yagan Memorial[1] is being created at the City of Swan to honour the memory of the son of Midgigoroo and Moyran. It will be situated at West Swan Road, Swan Valley, Australia. Yagan was a very important representative of the Beeliar people who was instrumental in trying to forge good working relations with the first white settlers of the Swan River Colony in Western Australia. Imagery on walls one will depict the story of Yagan and his people from colonisation to his untimely and tragic death. The imagery will tell the story of Yagan and his family, their alienation from the white people, the taking and fencing off of their traditional land, the killings and the payback, and the treacherous ambush of Yagan, Heegan and his party by the Keates brothers at the site in 1833.[2]
Entry Statement to the Site by Sandra Hill
The work we envisage will require several rammed earth curved walls to be fabricated at the beginning of the pathway leading into the Memorial site. The work will feature a visual timeline etched into clay tablets that meander along the full length of the walls, they will be reminiscent of the Waugal moving in and out of the land as well as a connecting feature for the Burial Site. The walls, will gradually grade down until they disappear back into the earth. There are several gaps within the length of the walls; these are intended to break up the space comfortably and also as a preventative response to people climbing onto the higher walls within the space.
Artists
Nyoongar artists who are currently creating art works for the Memorial Site are Sandra Hill and Peter Farmer.[3] Jenny Dawson is assisting Sandra with the major story wall works.
Working team members are Tracie Pushman, Laurel Nannup and Ellen McFetridge. Roman Antiok has built the rammed earth walls and Peter Zuvela is documenting photographically the entire artwork process and working to install all of the artworks on the walls.
See also
External links
- Yagan ( - 1833) Australian Dictionary of Biography, Online Edition,
- Artsource: Peter Farmer, Sandra Hill & Jenny Dawson Commission
- Wikipedia:Yagan
References
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