Archives are more than repositories of history; they are cultural heritage tapestries. For First Nations Peoples, historical records can evoke both pain and empowerment. The records may reflect past injustices, but they also hold the potential to reconnect individuals with their cultural roots and reclaim lost languages.
Queensland State Archives (QSA) recognises the need for culturally safe spaces, acknowledging the potential of archives to reconnect individuals with their cultural roots.
Following a cultural audit in 2022, QSA has spent the past twelve months working with Blaklash to transform the Archives into a culturally safe and welcoming space through our Outdoor Design Project.
By fostering cultural connection, the project ensures that First Nations visitors feel acknowledged and comfortable on their archival journey.
Watch our project video for an inside look at this journey, and delve deeper into the creative process, learning more about the talented artists involved and the captivating artwork they’ve created below.
Artists
Nathaniel Chapman (Goenpul and Yuggera)
Nathaniel Chapman is a proud Goenpul / Yuggera man from North Stradbroke Island and Brisbane City, also hailing from the Wambia clan of the Northern Territory. Many of his talents descend from the Wambia tribes’ artistic nature that runs thick through his bloodline.
He has experience creating artworks for digital and physical applications, including sports apparel, clothing and homewares.
Nathaniel designed and painted the first series of artwork for the project, a mural that lines the wall of the visitor drop-off bay opposite the entrance to the Archives. He also designed artwork that features on the gumnut sculptures.
When people come through, I want them to feel relaxed, I want them to feel like QSA acknowledges Country, to feel at ease and to know that they are in a safe place.
Nathaniel Chapman, Artist
Tamika Grant-Iramu (Torres Strait Island)
Inspired by the environment of her immediate natural surroundings, Tamika’s practice focuses on the minute areas of native and introduced flora, bringing into focus these aspects that often go unnoticed.
The connection to place, and the physicality of relief-print carving intertwine as she explores her cultural identity, using her creative practice to find ways of connecting with the differed threads of her heritage.
The carving techniques and storytelling aesthetics of Torres Strait Islander and Papua New Guinean culture combined with the Western influences of her upbringing converge in her practice as she explores and grows her own story.
Artwork
The artworks celebrate the intertwining themes of Connection to Country, memory, storytelling, and the diverse flora and fauna of the region. Aligned with the curatorial vision of ‘Seeds of knowledge,’ they represent cultural and archival knowledge fostering ongoing cultural transformation. The goal is to make archives an open, accessible space for historical journeys.
Seeds of knowledge is a metaphor for the archival records themselves, that within each record we don’t know what stories can grow out of that record.
Rose Barrowcliffe, First Nations Archives Advisor
Mural
Visitors to the Archives will now be greeted by an eye-catching mural that takes cues from the traditional Yuggera Country symbolism and motifs.
Drawing inspiration from the colours of Country, the mural pays homage to the sacredness of Yuggera country, the land where the Archives is located. Inspired by the richness of this Country, the artwork incorporates native trees, plants, and totem animals, such as the sand goanna and Kuna; the carpet snake, which is significant to the Yuggera people.
The centrepiece of the mural, the gathering circle, symbolises QSA and its dedicated staff maintaining the Archives place of significance as it protects sacred and historical information. The sharp lines leading out from the meeting circle represent the knowledge QSA takes & holds from every corner of Queensland.
Bronze-cast gumnut sculptures
Now adorning the grass areas on each side on the entrance path are a series of five patterned bronze-cast gumnut sculptures featuring unique designs intricately designed by Nathaniel and Tamika.
The patterns are inspired by the intricacy and significance of native species seed pods, each of which have been designed to resemble native species found in the region, honouring the ecological significance of the land and reinforcing the idea of nature as an archive of knowledge.
Each sculpture, which was fabricated by Perides Art Foundry a family-owned and operated company based in Brisbane, weighs approximately 30kg and is made from bronze.
Blackwood timber bench seating
Six of the seats in the area around the entrance to the building have been upgraded to beautiful Blackwood timber featuring three unique artworks routed into them.
The artwork for the seating has been designed by Tamika Grant-Iramu and references the Eucalyptus and Paper Bark tree as a point of connection to the natural environment that surround QSA. Each design has been routed into the blackwood timber seats by Blackwood Collective, a First Nations owned and operated carpentry and timber workshop.
The artworks have created a permanent feature at QSA that amplify First Nations peoples’ voices at the archives. Be sure to keep an eye out for these beautiful pieces of work the next time you visit us!
