Wiyangamadda Ngurra 

Client: Private Client 
Location: Processing Centre Marsden Park 

Artists: Leanne Redpath (Watson) with Barahanos Byrne (Tina Barahanos & Alexandra Byrne)

Title: Wiyangamadda Ngurra

Year: 2022

Medium: Digital image for print on Wall Vinyl

Dimensions: H1.8m x W10m

Context: Drawing inspiration from the Wiyangamadda Ngurra story this artwork brings together Leanne’s Dharug cultural knowledge and artwork with Tina and Alex’s imagery of natural elements from the local Marsden Park area. The gentle blue green hues are reminiscent of a peaceful wetland stillness associated with predawn or late evening.

These combined elements were made into drawings and developed digitally to create the finished artwork. They include:

• Meeting Places – Leanne Watson’s circular forms of the radiating concentric lines (a gathering place) and the rounded cluster of eucalyptus leaves (a hearth)

• Women’s Tools - Leanne Watson’s images of women’s tools such as digging or yam sticks (Guni), net or string bags (Dyuguma) including a drawing of a handwoven dyuguma from Leanne’s mother (Aunty Edna Watson), bark carrying bowls (Gulumin), stone axe (Mugu) and grinding stones (Giba) 

• Significant flora and fauna such as Murnong Yam Daisy (Microseris species), Native Box (Bursaria spinosa), Eucalyptus species, Knobby Club Rush (Ficinia nodosa), Common Rush (Juncus usitatus), Kidney Weed (Dichondra repens), Blady Grass (Imperata cylindrica), Bracken Fern (Pteridium esculentum) and pollinating insect species (butterfly, moth and native bees).

• Together these placemaking elements are represented in Dharug language paired with an English translation to preserve language and embed it in the landscape of our present.

Images show the mural installed with details of text and other elements in the work