Untitled (wall composition)

D Harding is a descendant of the Bidjara, Ghungalu and Garingbal peoples; in their practice they draw upon and maintain the spiritual and philosophical sensibilities of their cultural inheritances. Harding performs the same techniques as their ancestors, revealing complex and layered cultural heritage and aesthetic histories. Often paying homage to family members, their work seeks new forms for sharing material and knowledges.

For rīvus, Harding has created a dialogue between families, maps and pastoral lease holders to plot the course of tributaries and the Mimosa Creek. Through repetitive gesture and durational movement using water and gum arabic, Harding has carved a wall painting. The offering of ochre pigments to this place remains unperformed; the pigment hangs from a data point on the map in a repurposed vessel. The work was formed in response to data gathered on Ghungalu Country in Central Queensland by community members from the Woorabinda area and beyond. The legacy of existing programs in Woorabinda and knowledges shared by senior community members Uncle Steven Kemp, Aunty Michelle Leisha and Uncle Milton Lawton are central to this work. In parallel, while this transfer of knowledges is carved on Gadigal Country, community members in Woorabinda will continue to walk these tributaries and creeks, to map direct access for local cultural knowledge to be recognised as environmental science, and respond to the current state of waterways on Ghungalu Country.