A dedication to the Kulin Nations. Placescapes- Country n Connections - is an interpretation of the many Aboriginal lands that connect and make up the beautiful state of Victoria. I love the natural architecture of Country, and paint to capture the topographical layers of Country. My mapping or Placescapes is a way to illustrate the earths contours and tones, to depict our Country's once natural rugged beauty, including landscapes such as water areas hills and mountains – typically used culturally for many Aboriginal people as borders or sacred places of cultural relevance. It is their relationship to the land, which has enabled Aboriginal people to survive; the land is the source of people’s resilience as they draw strength from their land. The traditional relationship and connections which Aboriginal people have with their Country relies on an extensive and detailed knowledge or their Dreaming about their homelands that has been handed down through the generations in that place and is an important component of their worldview. Not only is worldview founded on beliefs about Country as the source of all life, and emotional attachment to Country, but worldview also incorporates detailed ecological and spiritual knowledge.
Now, in its modern identity, just because there are streets, roads and houses there is still the layers we walk on, the keepers of our Dreaming's and history.