AIR – Exhibition Instalment 3

While I was in Mparntwe Alice Springs I attended a community event at the Olive Pink Botanical Gardens (OPBG) called Name Arrwengkelthe Grass Sickness. Many stakeholders were present to talk about how to tackle the significant problem of buffel grass. It was an inspiring day, when I learned so much about the challenges facing the community regarding this invasive weed.

The day started with a walk up Tharrarltneme Annie Myers Hill, when Jeff the Grounds Manager talked about the efforts to clear two hills above OPBG of buffel. As a result native species are coming back and these hills now operate as a seed bank for revegetating the wider landscape. Peter Latz made a guest appearance and talked of the incredible number of grass species that have re-emerged on his property once the buffel grass was removed.

There was a panel discussion about managing buffel grass in the wider landscape. The urgency of buffel grass gaining weed status was voiced, which happened the following week. Some of the stakeholders at the event had been lobbying the NT government to declare buffel a weed for some time.

For more information about buffel grass please follow the link – https://www.alec.org.au/stopbuffel

Eastern Arrente and Arrente women then spoke about bush medicine. They showed plants and talked of their uses and healing properties. Plants such as native fuchsia, apple bush, bean tree, red poverty bush, bush plum, striped mint bush and river red gum were shown and discussed. They talked of buffel grass taking over and suffocating native plants so that their longstanding cultural practices are becoming more difficult.

I was inspired and started tossing about creative ideas I could explore such as listening devices and plant noise making devices. Also plant filters of information, inspired by a piece of palm fibre fallen from a palm at OPBG. I made small trials that will be explored further in the studio over the next year or two…

I also worked with Margie Alexander in the dyeing studio at Central Craft to indigo dye some threads blue!