Ngalawan–We Live, We Remain: The Call of Ngura (Country)

Leanne Tobin is a multidisciplinary artist of Dharug heritage descending from the Buruberong and Wumali clans, the Traditional Custodians of the Greater Sydney region. Tobin works collaboratively with community groups, schools and institutions to tell local stories and care for Country. For rīvus, Tobin shares a Dharug creation story of an Ancestral Creator, in the form of an eel/serpent that long ago created the rivers and mountains.

Tobin’s work is connected across two locations, Arts + Cultural Exchange (ACE), Parramatta and The Cutaway at Barangaroo, to invite audiences to physically follow and imagine the lifecycle of the eel. The material and reflections of hand-blown glass eels for The Call of Ngura remind us of the ongoing fight the Dharug have endured since colonisation and the adaptive qualities of the eel. The strange and phenomenal eels climb dams, creep across land and transform in preparation for their journey northwards to their spawning grounds in the Coral Sea. On their return to freshwater, the young transparent glass eels take on the colours of the river as they move between freshwater and saltwater. This metamorphosis alludes to historical and contemporary experiences of Dharug people who faced horrific frontier conflict and disruption but have adapted and remained, ensuring their survival.