From Terra Nullius to Beloved Companion
Reimagining Land in Australia

Imagination

Imagination

So how might we find hope for the future? I came across a quote very early on in my research that has stayed with me throughout my academic and experiential journeying. It is by Vaclav Havel, a former President of Czechoslovakia: What could change the direction of today’s civilization? It is my deep conviction that the only option is a change in the sphere of the spirit, in the sphere of human conscience. It is not enough to develop new machines, new regulations, new instit

Mining CSG – a ‘wicked’ problem?

Mining CSG – a ‘wicked’ problem?

I’m tempted to take the high moral ground when it comes to issues like the mining of coal seam gas, or whether climate change has its origins in human activity. The trouble is, ethical arguments emerge on both sides of the polarising debate that inevitably surrounds the resource development sector: The CSG industry will provide jobs, export earnings, taxes to fund schools and hospitals; Burning fossil fuels causes global warming; Exporting energy can help developing nations

Hall #6
Are we neighbours?

Hall #6 Are we neighbours?

So here I am, standing in the next hall, getting even more confused. For I’m hearing voices in my head. One Voice, at least: that of Land. An artwork in this hall sets me thinking; it’s a painting of the parable of the Good Samaritan, and I can’t help but see Land as the traveller, set upon by thieves – mining corporations, governments, land developers, farmers, housing commissions and spiritual groupies – who take and take what they want and then move on, sometimes leavin

Hall #4
How religion shapes our attitude to Land

Hall #4 How religion shapes our attitude to Land

On entering this hall I’m immediately struck by a huge artwork, describing the naming of Australia in religious terms. Today we talk about the Great South-land of the Holy Spirit. Geoff Bullock has even written a song about it. But on the opposite wall I read what early European explorers said about the land, who used terms such as ‘barren’, ‘desolate’, ‘god-forsaken’, ‘totally unsuited for occupation or habitation’ and ‘nothing at all of value’. What a contrast! Which des

Entrance Hall
Born into this Landscape

Entrance Hall Born into this Landscape

I want to take you on a journey of exploration, through an Exhibition of artworks on the theme ‘Mining Coal Seam Gas’. During it you may experience mystery, ambiguity, joy and pain. In some ways it will be like the journeys of those early European explorers of Australia – a strange land, an uncertain destination, a challenging vulnerability, a readiness to take risks, failure and an emerging need to see things in a new way. Lake Mungo. Photo Courtesy of Pam Goldie For this