PERSONAL STATEMENT
Driven by experience, people and place my work as a designer will encompass the future of Indigenous art, culture and design in Australia. As a First Nations Queensland University of Technology, Bachelor of Design Graduate in 2022 - I am entering the professional design industry eager to learn and experience in the real world. With an embedded focus on the interconnections of interdisciplinary design, I am an aspirational young creative. I have ambitious goals for the future as I navigate industry with plans to become an influential role model for future generations of Indigenous youth.
DESIGN CONCEPT & RATIONALE
My capstone project titled ‘Echoes’ is an art-based video projection series showcasing Indigenous connections to Barrambin. This semester, Experimental Visual Communication has allowed me to immerse myself into the ideation process of a project deeper than ever before, which has encouraged me to make more informed decisions about my final project concept. My hybrid approach of incorporating visual art, visual communication techniques and principles of interaction design has inspired my vision for a curated contemporary art video series.
This project takes a major step towards reconciliation of the new Victoria Park/Barrambin developments, currently in the development stage. The inclusion of First Nations voices is an inadmissible step in the development of Australian landscapes. Funding contributions towards this project would solidify opportunities for collaboration with researchers and development teams working towards the parks redesign. As an Indigenous visual artist and graphic designer with connections to Wakka Wakka Country, my work as a young creative in the field holds cultural connections as I take pride in reclaiming heritage through visual communication and interaction design avenues.
‘Echoes’ draws on the commonly shared experience for Indigenous people in Australia and focuses on my intrinsic relationship with land and Country. We take these deep connections and hold them close, sharing with others where we can and constantly caring for and passing on knowledge of place. This knowledge then echoes. Our bloodlines echo. Our teachings echo. But do these echoes stick around? Or merely come and go with our spirits? I want to use this project to explore these experiences and share the histories of the landscapes that surround us. To deeply connect with Country as it lives and thrives through yesterday, today, and far into the future, Echoes will give prominence to this significance and share the story of Barrambin.
The area of what is now Kelvin Grove Urban Village was an important cultural site for the Turrbal and Yuggera First Nations People. The history of this Country is rich in fresh water and pools, with a billabong in what is now McCaskie Park, and a line of pools and small creeks leading down to wetland lagoons at the bottom of Barrambin and onwards to the river. The cultural significance of waterways for the Indigenous communities of Barrambin runs deep, where the water connects land with community. When the Village was built, the park was turned into a golf course and more aligned with the two parts of the university campus along Musk Avenue, almost literally ‘turning its back on the parklands’. Discovering a relationship –kinning–with these seemingly disappeared and concealed (unseen) waterways offers community involvement and establishes a voice for the project. As the project brief states: “This design-led project will investigate ways to unveil this relationship –to rekin and reveal the unseen and long forgotten –through a contextually situated, tangible interaction design response.”
MOVING INTO A NEW RESEARCH SCOPE
'Echoes' a project for, Kinning with the unseen more-than-human: Re-sensing Barrambin's disappeared waterways and creeks.
Following on from my research methodologies from assessment one, I have now slightly varied my research scope and will now conduct research about the Barrambin area and establish the ancient connections of Indigenous communities to the land that is now occupied by the Kelvin Grove urban village and Victoria Park. This research will help inform my knowledge of when and where to record content for my final video.
After the completion of my first assessment for experimental visual communication, I was invited by my course coordinator Anastasia Tyurina to a research focus group meeting for a group of QUT academics who are currently in the process of a research project that greatly resonates with my own project scope currently. I have been asked by this group to step in as their Indigenous student voice. My perspectives as a student at the university and my own personal connections to land and Country are a valuable asset to this project. The new scope of research for this change of focus for me is an easy transition from QUT into wider Barrambin. I believe my research so far has set me up for success for this project as I have a deeper understanding of accessing land data from country and turning my research into visual assets for my art projects. I have now met with the research group and shown my work to everyone, discussing how my involvement of the project could work well for the way they are heading.
It is important to me that as an Indigenous artist with Wakka Wakka connections, I take the opportunity to research for the Turbal people very seriously. Taking into account how my connection to land needs to respect the owners of the country I am creating on. I will use my connections as an Aborigional member of the community in Meanjin to go above and beyond the research that I need to ensure that everything I create aligns with the stories passed down by the Turabal people for which this project is representing.
Land is central to the culture, identity, and spirituality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is intertwined with family, kinship, lore, customs, stories, song and dance, language, art, ceremony, and healing.
This deep relationship between Indigenous Australians and land is often described as ‘connection to Country’ and has become a main theme in my work as an emerging Aboriginal artist and graphic designer.
A significant part of my project strategy is about fostering a deeper understanding and recognition of this connection, particularity with respects to the significance of the land now occupied by the Kelvin Grove Urban Village.
People say that Country knows, hears, smells, takes notice, takes care, is sorry or happy. Country is not a generalised or undifferentiated type of place, such as one might indicate with terms like ‘spending a day in the country’ or ‘going up the country.’ Rather, Country is a living entity with a yesterday, today, and tomorrow, with a consciousness, and a will toward life.
Rose, D. B. (1996) Nourishing Terrains : Australian Aboriginal Views of Landscape and Wilderness. Australian Heritage Commission.
FURTHER RESEARCH
QUT CAMPUS TO COUNTRY STRATEGY
My Project would work in a real life context for something such as the QUT campus to country strategy. It is important for wider communities to integrate indigenous thinking and a voice for country into their identity. I believe an art project such as mine would incorporate well into this strategy put forward by QUT.
It is a crutial step towards reconciliation to involve local indigenous voices into development projects. The Indigenous art industry in Australia generates millions of dollars each year and its important to give back to the traditional owners of the lands during development and gentrification.
Barrambin has such a deep history that has not even been fully documented in research papers in the past, so it is important to connect with the local communities to understand their perspectives.
This strategy provides a framework for future engagement, decision making, project delivery, and built environment outcomes including significant public realm works, new facilities, planned upgrades and changes to the campus experience. My interdisciplinary designs for this capstone unit could be integrated well into a project like this.
SITE SPECIFIC RESEARCH
UNDERSTANDING THE BARRAMBIN PROJECT
Our goal is to, through collaborative design with the community, inspire a deeper connection between the residents of Kelvin Grove and the rich history of the ground they live and work on, through a re-sensing of the vanished but still-living waterways of the Barrambin area. We aim to give these old waters a new voice, and to bring their stories to light.
This link is my first point of research for this project. It has aided in my understanding of where the group is at with research and their perspectives on the land as told by mob on a walkabout around Kelvin Grove State College. It really inspires me to see schools taking action in reconciliation and learning beyond the simple acknowledgment that the land belongs to Indigenous peoples. It is important to myself as an emerging visual artist and designer that my work aligns with my personal morals in order to assert my goals in the industry from a young age. Participating in a project to display artworks about a research project that I am proud to be a part of is a big step forward for myself as I prepare to graduate this year. All further research from here will help the development of my videos and artworks.
After learning more about the waterways as described here, I am deeply interested in uncovering more information about what could have been if the lands were left untouched. Echoes is a personal journey in accepting that the land has now been colonised, however understanding that there is still chance for Indigenous voice to be heard.
The waterways of Barrambin are not gone; they have simply been rendered invisible. Strung out along the full extent of Barrambin’s original waterbed, hidden under concrete and drain covers, are a series of subterranean stormwater drains that together carry the currents which once flowed through the wetland.
HISTORICAL RESEARCH
Site and Flora
I am looking for books, articles or photographic evidence of the native flora around Kelvin Grove more broadly. I will use this information from research to guide my creative process and back my photography and videos with research based evidence.
I am an Indigenous student and I would also love to see any information we have on hand regarding the use of the land here prior to the university being here as well. With these key focuses for research I headed to the library and spoke to a research advisor about possible avenues to find this information.
Kelvin Grove has always been a gathering point for Indigenous people for thousands of years, but with the arrival of Europeans it became a penal colony.
In 1823 when European explorers saw the park-like land now known as Kelvin Grove, around 5000 Indigenous people inhabited it. The area was attractive to the white settlers, as it seemed to provide ample food and fresh water for the local population they observed along the riverbanks.
What is now Kelvin Grove seemed immediately attractive to settlers, because of its plentiful supply of timber suitable for building and the area’s proximity to the town settlement.
I believe it would be a good creative choice to involve these maps into my artworks somehow and collate them into the context of my projection art.
The Turrbal people who survived no longer talked of Mianjin —but were now calling Brisbane umpie korumbaor the place of many buildings.
Native Flora of South East Queensland
When doing field research on Kelvin Grove it has been very difficult to find exact information on what flora may have been native to the landscape of Kelvin Grove. I have widened my searches to Native Australian flora in South East Queensland in hopes to find some familiar looking plants that I can find on the current campus to use for my project. I am also looking into scientific drawing styles for documentation of plants as this may be helpful for my illustrations.
THE WATERWAYS OF BARRAMBIN
‘Barrambin’ has also been referred to as ‘Pahroombin’, the name for George Edmondstone’s house and estate at Mayne on the southern bank of Breakfast Creek. This would also fit repeated references to the railway crossing of Breakfast Creek, as being called ‘Barrambin’ and also a good place to camp and fish. Petrie (1983) notes that there was a large swamp (also confusingly called ‘Barrambin’) located approximately on the site of the Mayne Railway yards. However Porter (n.d) places it on the site of the Acclimatisation Society grounds, where Bowen Park is located.
MAPPING BRISBANE
The State Library of Queensland has an assortment of maps that have been sourced from the community that date back to the beginning of Brisbane. I have began research into the old maps, looking for some that I could use in my artworks or even any that could inform my art process.
Brisbane’s scale and density enables it to reinvent itself in a way that, I believe, that no other capital in Australia can. It is a city with latent potential, growing and evolving without a concrete identity established in Australia’s collective public consciousness. Brisbane’s story isn’t yet written, as made clear by the plethora of plans and strategies that plan or imagine it’s future.
York’s Hollow (Barrambin) is the most important Aboriginal cultural heritage site known within the Study Corridor, and is the place most frequently referred to in the literature concerning First Nations peoples and early Brisbane. It includes the area now covered by Victoria Park, the Brisbane General Hospital, and the National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland (RNA) Exhibition Grounds. Prior to 1890, Breakfast Creek flowed through York’s Hollow. The map above highlights these features.
If you use this Google Maps timelapse search engine, it is interesting to see how the environment of Brisbane changes throughout the years. Although this is showing us data that we already know such as the gentrification of the city of Brisbane. It is important to recognise the scale of colonisation that occurred here. This really poses me with the question of what would still be here now without the white influence and invasion of the city? Research like this is what really encourages me to participate in a project such as this.
INDIGENOUS VOICES
Please watch minutes 3-5 of this video as an Indigenous custodian speaks for a welcome to Country at a conference. It is important to notice here how she speaks on the traditions of the land and the deep historical connections.
This video above is an inspirational project that I have found by Brett Leavy. He explores the space of Barambin as what once was in a 3D modlled context. I love the research and efforts into relaying accurate information that went into this piece. A crucial learning point for me in the progress of this project.
PROCESS DOCUMENTATION
SITE VISIT
These photos were shared by Amari Low via project teams. This has given me extra context into where I should explore around Barrambin when I participate in my own site walks. Rather than just exploring the site on my own site walk, I will also bring a camera with the aims of capturing a new perspective of the site through my own eyes. I will also take videos that could be included in the final edit.
This map has been a good guide to understand what areas other people have found as points of interest on their own site walks.
FIELD RESEARCH
I will now take myself on a journey around the new site for my artwork project. This will not only allow me to engage with my culture in a meditative process but will also bring to light the context of many photographs I have seen myself in the research project. I will head into Kelvin Grove QUT and hire a camera on Monday the 17th of October to take some images of what is drawn to me. I will use my own spiritual connection to land to my advantage taking images and videos of what greatly resonates with me the most. This process will help kickstart my creative process as this project comes to a close. After this walkabout I will have a yarn with some people at the university and learn on their experiences around Barrambin and will use this learning to formulate an action plan moving forward as to how I will create my final project videos.
VIDEO TESTER EXAMPLE
After this first site visit, I was able to take some of the footage from that day and begin compiling it into a short video to show as an example of the direction where the piece was heading. This allowed me to see what software worked and things I could work on to make the piece more engaging in the future. Filtering through this footage also gave me the opportunity to understand the angles and shots that worked well and how I could more efficiently apply these to my future iterations of work.
PROCESS
This video was created using Adobe Rush which was an application that I am used to for quick and easy short video edits. I do think moving forward however I will be using Adobe Premier Pro to compile my footage as I will be able to add many more effects and make a better video piece.
MAN MADE VS NATURE
I wanted to use my video series as a chance to explore the environment as it stands now and how it may have looked without white colonization. Photographs like this are reminders of the features that have been added. I took time to analyze exactly what man made features were found in and around the parklands and I observed that these are mostly implemented to help the flow of water or drains to prevent flooding. My research has lead me to understand that because these waterways were not correctly cared for during the gentrification process that the new interventions have not been enough to prevent the water from coming back up.
WHAT IS BARRAMBIN?
The 'Windy Place'
Barrambin (Yorks Hollow) is defined in Brisbane's history as one of the most important historical sites. The site is frequently referred to in indigenous literature and historical accounts of the Brisbane area during settlement. Groups of up to 800 gathered at York’s Hollow for ceremonial and trading purposes from as far away as the Blackall Ranges, and such large gatherings were a source of disquiet for the local settlers. There are numerous accounts of raids of the Aboriginal camps by settlers and police, and by the 1850s the European settlement had begun to encroach on York’s Hollow.
Victoria Park / Barrambin is open for Brisbane residents and visitors to explore and is a natural retreat and urban park for adventure, discovery and reconnection. There is already so much to see and do with 64 hectares of open space, rolling green hills and expansive city views to enjoy.
IMMERSING IN NATURE
This panoramic view of the pond over the parklands showcases the rolling hills of the previous golf course and the diverse trees and landscapes that cover them.
Walking through this space it is clear to see it is well loved by the native wildlife as birds flew around this pond all throughout my site visits.
INSPIRATIONAL TECHNOLOGIES AND DEISGN RESEARCH
Video editing effects and inspiration to help inform my creative process when editing together my video.
This idea has stemmed from my first assessment research where I looked into editing images like an x-ray. I think this makes sense in regards to the message behind my work as it is looking underneath the reality and uncovering the unseen.
This texture is a good way to incorporate my original project artwork.
Echoes is a great opportunity for me to broaden my horizons as a visual designer into the world of projection mapping. I will take the videos created for this project and make them more universal by allowing them to be projected onto multiple surfaces.
First I will focus on collecting data and research for my project and collating this into a plan for my photography and video editing aspects. I will create these videos as soon as possible to allow myself time to finalise the projection mapping requirements. These youtube videos are an example of the eventual goals of my project but may not happen until far into the future.
INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST
Rosie Lloyd-Giblett
I have a great affection for Rosies work as an artist, I have done two workshops in the past with a group and she has helped form lots of my physical art making approaches. To accompany this video art piece I will create some art with a similar mark making approach to Rosie - taking a piece of paper out into the place of research and connecting with the land as it informs my brush strokes.
DESIGN IDEATION
MOOD BOARD
PROJECT STILL ARTWORK
Inspired by the forms and lines in nature such as the rings of trees, ripples in the water and the way the wind feels, echoes was created to capture the emotive feeling that nature and land can bring. Each line within this work was mindfully drawn with purpose as the direction of each line will affect the form of the next. I am pleased with my final result for this drawing and the way it has inspired future experiment ideas.
MAKING MARKS ON COUNTRY
After my research process and my first site walk, I was now ready to approach a mark making activity as I created an artwork at Barrambin. The process of creating this piece aids in providing a deeper connection between myself and the subject of my art. There is an opportunity for the viewer to feel the energy of the mark making, flickering shadows and the emotions of the environment through my art.
Follow along through this series of images as I explain the process of the creation of my on site artworks for this piece. These artworks have allowed me to connect to the land through mark making and display the expressions of my experiences at Barrambin.
I began by placing my paper in a shaded area of trees on my site walk. Then I used inks and water to trace each of these shadows, reflecting on why they are present and how they change over time.
I then allowed this to dry in the sun as I continued my site observations - during this period of observation I tracked my emotions, movements and feelings. This allowed me to reflect through more marks on the paper after the ink had dried.
Each of these marks with oil sticks and charcoal tells a story - they carry more meaning than just simply a mark on a page, however are marks of storytelling and memory. These marks document time place and connection to Country.
The green marks are representative of the hills I walked over that day. The yellow - times I found water. Charcoal is used here to represent the shapes and forms of flora around me. And the white serves as documentation of the route I walked.
During this phase I created two on site artworks to be included in my video series and experimentation phase. I plan on expanding on these mark making artworks in future developments of Echoes.
MAKING THE VIDEO SERIES
VIDEO EDITING PROCESS
All of the videos created in this series of work were entirely edited from raw footage taken by myself at Barrambin during the past month of study. All of these videos have been created using Adobe Premier Pro.
EXPERIMENTING WITH EFFECTS AND COMPOSITIONS
Because I was new to this software before this project, I took some time learning the ins and outs of what I needed to get the effects that I wanted on my videos. I began this experimenting after my first round of videography was complete and I allowed myself to freely experiment.
RECOLOURING THE VIDEOS
To capture the essence of a heat mapping video and contrast maps to add meaning to the videos I then used the curves tool within lumitri colour and adjusted the curves until I reached my desired effect on each video. Most of these videos also have invert and tint effects on as well.
To get the 'echo' effect on my leaves (see above) on some of the images I used the 'find edges' effect followed by 'tint' and 'turbulant displace' effect.
IMPORTING IMAGES AND EDITING LAYERS
To bring back the themes of Barrambin and explore the message behind the art further. I imported old maps of Victoria Park area and imposed them on top of the existing videos I had taken. I then used the image overlay tools such as 'darken' or 'multiply' to reach my desired effect.
REARANGING THE TIMELINES
The editing process involved lots of reordering of timelines in order to establish the best placement for each clip.
EDITING FOR PROTOTYPES
The last step in my video editing process was for Mockup purposes. I imported 9 of my favorite compositions and formed them into a grid to all play at the same time.
PROOF OF CONCEPT
FUTURE EXPANSION FOR ECHOES
Echoes is a project that holds endless possibilities, this assessment piece lays the foundation to the vision I have for this project moving into the future. I plan on creating a sculptural piece where the videos created for this assessment can be mapped onto and displayed as a site specific work but also within an exhibition context.
I believe my research methodologies and passion for this project have helped inform my style and expression. I have proven during the creative process of this work that I hold consistency within my style and have found my place in industry.
As a result of this project – future collaborations with the Kelvin Grove community, including Kelvin Grove State College are developing, which will help solidify my message as an artist in the field of design. With a strong emphasis on technological innovation and a future-focused creative approach, I am confident my project will fulfil my vision to its fullest potential. I am genuinely excited to see my final concept for this work come to fruition and establish myself as an accomplished graduate designer with a reputable body of work.
PRESENTATION FORMAT MOCKUPS
This series of Mockups has helped me explore possible avenues for presentation of these assets. I will use these to form suggestions for future project investors to help fulfill my vision.
This video would be a great way to add an interactive element to the project by using the screen behind the sphere (see above) to display the video series in a grid layout. This would allow the audience to capture the whole project at a glance and click to enlarge which video they wish to view on a larger scale.
FINAL PROJECT OUTCOMES
ECHOES 2022 BY CHANTEL BATES
PROJECT SHOWREEL
EXPANDING ON THE DELIVERABLES
Having a range of assets and formats for this project will help with brand exposure for myself and the content that I have produced during my capstone unit. I am proposing a small range of products that are relevant to my project concept to become merchandise and spread the importance of the field of research.
Echoes postcards - I will create a set of postcards to be printed and handed out at exhibitions of this project. They will act as a form of advertisement for myself and the project as a whole. I am currently exploring the possibility of having a QR code to my final design for an easy way to find out more information during an exhibition.
Echoes Business cards will also be a great way to expand the reach of my project and attract new clients with an eye-catching project still.
During this process of ideating which merchandise items would be most relevant to my project context I originally did not think phone screensavers would work well. However reconsidering this idea occurred when a friend mentioned how nice they would look in this context. The idea behind these assets is to reach new audiences and demographics so the creation of wallpapers will help with spreading the message through word of mouth.
I chose to create a tote bag because of their versatility and growing popularity. It is a product that people would be willing to purchase. I can picture in the future when the Victoria park project is completed, having this tote bag carried around the area of Barrambin will be a great way to advertise my work.
because a lot of the process for his project included research - I wanted to create a journal. This comes back into the theme of my work of reflecting on the past present and future. I encourage people top use this notebook as a chance to journal and connect with their thoughts on country.
RESOLVED VIDEO SERIES
Each video linked below is a part of my final concept piece for this project. Each video will be displayed in an exhibition context both indoors and outdoors on a variation of screens and sculptures as proposed above (proof of concept).
PROJECT STATEMENT
Echoes, my capstone project has established myself as an emerging artist and designer. My involvement in the design-led research project brought contextual and historical visibility and sensibility to the ancient creeks and waterways which exist in and around Kelvin Grove Urban Village and Barrambin, reconnecting the Village to the Council’s current redesign of the parklands. ‘Kinning with the unseen more-than-human: Re-sensing Barrambin's disappeared waterways and creeks’ who invited me to inform their research as their Indigenous student voice, using my capstone artwork to capture my perspective on Barrambin.
Land is central to the culture, identity, and spirituality of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. It is intertwined with family, kinship, lore, customs, stories, song and dance, language, art, ceremony, and healing.
Through my creative practice I have drawn focus on the combination of visual communication and interactive design with fine arts - innovating a hybrid design approach. This has allowed for the subject matter to be highlighted through evidence-based research that effectively shape an appealing body of work with emphasis on storytelling. I love using my platform at university to align myself with progressive projects, taking the chance to immerse myself in positive community partnerships and developments. The capstone unit has augmented my capabilities as an emerging interdisciplinary designer – allowing me to showcase my debut as an experimental artist.
The research methodologies used have uncovered a successful amount of aesthetically strong and unique ideas that highlight my personal skills and capacity as an emerging designer. The inclusion of my Aboriginal cultural connections and informed application of research from a First Nations perspective has ensured for me that Echoes has potential to be a great project, not only through my technical skills but my strong passion and connection to the topic. I have researched technologies within and surrounding my current scope of thesis and extended this research through a successful experimentation phase that has informed a direction for my final project.
As a result of this project – future collaborations with the Kelvin Grove community, including Kelvin Grove State College are developing, which will help solidify my message as an artist in the field of design. With a strong emphasis on technological innovation and a future-focused creative approach, I am confident my project will fulfil my vision to its fullest potential. I am genuinely excited to see my final concept for this work come to fruition and establish myself as an accomplished graduate designer with a reputable body of work.
Credits:
Chantel Bates 2022