About Us
News
Careers
Contact Us
Projects
Property
Asset Management
Public Transport
Safety
Road, Rail and Marine
Cycling and Walking
Licensing and Registration
Information for Contractors
Technical Standards and Guidelines
Pay an invoice
Publications and NoticesTime lapse shows artwork coming to life
Thursday, 12 December 2019
spacer
Elizabeth railway station has received a meaningful and beautiful addition with the installation of a striking piece of art by Indigenous artist Elizabeth Yanyi Close.
The complex delivery of the work, which rises up the side of an elevator shaft, has been captured in a time-lapse video that shows the reminder of Aboriginal sovereignty and connection of Country coming to life with painstaking skill, detail and accuracy.
Artworks such as this are being delivered in conjunction with the DPTI Rail Care team to refresh the rail corridor, and each has its own special story.
The story of the Elizabeth railway station piece is explained by the artist below.
spacer
Wet Paint; Ancient Land’
Elizabeth Yanyi Close
Pitjantjatjara | Yankunytjatjara
Wet Paint; Ancient Land is a reminder of Aboriginal Sovereignty and Connection to Country. Our relationship to this continent, is something profound and immeasurable.
We are a part of the landscape and the landscape is a part of us. The Kaurna People of the Adelaide Plains, on whose land this artwork stands; have looked after every plant, insect and animal on their traditional lands since time immemorial, just as every other Language Group has looked after theirs. Compared to the length of time that Aboriginal Australia has looked after and lived with this landscape, the paint is still wet on European occupation of this land. This is represented by the drips on the artwork.
At a time where the climate and landscape is in turmoil, it is timely to remember this and look to Aboriginal Custodians as to how best to care for country. The Circular motifs represent our communities, families and unique kinship systems that exist within, between and across Language Groups, Clan Groups, Skin Groups and families.
The coloured circular motifs represent the important role that Community has in the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander People, and the important role that each and every one of us play within Community. The palette responds to the natural environment North of Adelaide, invoking images of red sand, dry earth, distant hills and purple dusks fading into inky blackness.