Artwork

Artwork Statement

Indooroopilly State High School (ISHS) has 35 First Nations students in grades 7 to 12. Our students come from all over Australia. The land that ISHS is on is Yuggera and Turrbal land. We, as a school, are respectful of this land and pay our respects to any and all Elders, past and present, and acknowledge all those Elders who will emerge in the future.

The concept of ‘Resilience and Change’ was discussed as a group with Justice Blair (ex student) and Emma Siepen (First Nations Liaison Officer at ISHS). The students thought they should include the First Fleet somehow and the city encroaching on Indigenous Country.

The footprints through the middle symbolise First Nations People walking on the land they have owned for 65,000 years. The concept is that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples know the land, know the wind and the sky and know the water. The First Nations Lore and Law mean they understand more than the land, they feel the land.

Songlines flow through the artwork to symbolise the fluid motion of culture and knowledge and that culture is shared. Even when the First Fleet ships encroach on the land and culture, Aboriginal people are still living, continuing their culture. Whilst due to colonisation, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ culture was impacted negatively, they continued to live, adapt and change their way of life to incorporate a new way of living. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have shown again and again that they are able to cope, adapt and continue altering their way of life due to the impacts of change.

The city encroaching on the natural land reflects Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ resilience and adaptability. The flags on the buildings in the artwork show that change and resilience mean we, as a nation, still reflect, appreciate and acknowledge Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the First People, the owners of the land. This also shows that no matter what happens, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples are still and will always be the longest continuing culture to ever have existed.

The footprints through the desert represent the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ owning the land and walking through the desert together. The emu tracks along the side are the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ footprints to represent the Elders past, the totem of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples walking alongside. These totem animals are protectors. They protect the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and in turn, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples protect the totem.

 Always was, always will be, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land.