Indigenous approaches to the past: ‘Creative histories’ at the Hyde Park Barracks, Sydney

Abstract

<jats:p>This article discusses a recent art project created by the Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi artist Jonathon Jones, which was commissioned to commemorate the opening of the revitalized Hyde Park Barracks in Sydney in early 2020. Jones’ work involves a dramatic installation of red and white crushed stones laid throughout the grounds of the barracks, merging the image of the emu footprint with that of the English broad convict arrow to ‘consider Australia’s layered history and contemporary cultural relations’. This work was accompanied by a ‘specially-curated programme’ of performances, workshops, storytelling and Artist Talks. Together, these elements were designed to unpack how certain ‘stories determine the ways we came together as a nation’. As one of the speakers of the Artist Talk’s programme, I had a unique opportunity to experiment with what colleagues and I have been calling ‘Creative histories’ in reference to the way some artists and historians are choosing to communicate their research about the past in ways that experiment with form and function and push disciplinary or generic boundaries. This article reflects upon how these two distinct creative history projects – one visual art, the other performative – renegotiate the complex and contested pasts of the Hyde Park Barracks. I suggest that both examples speak to the role of memory and creativity in shaping cultural responses to Australia’s colonial past, while Jones' programme illustrates how Indigenous artists and academics are making a profound intervention into contemporary understandings of how history is ‘done’ in Australia.</jats:p>

'Remember Aesi':

“…us far, for example, my consultation with elders has revealed that the bloom of Warra Garria, grey spider grevillea, indicated when it was time to hunt for shell sh, while the purple owers of the Warraburra, false sarsaparilla, signalled when it was time to sh for fat bream in the saltwater streams. 68 e thorny mountain devil, lambertia formosa, which Aesi also painted, was one of many that provided sustenance for it released a sweet honey nectar that made for a refreshing energy drink when it was swished in water. 69 In contrast, the Nirra Nirra or Pokulbi, also known as Flax Lily or Dianella, produced a purple berry that was eaten and used for dying baskets.…”