ART
BUNDJIL AND WAA SCAR TREE ARTWORK COMPLETED
NEW ARTWORK CONNECTS US TO THE MOST ANCIENT STORIES
THE SCAR TREE WITH CARVINGS COMPLETED
ABOVE MIDDLE : ARTIST MICK HARDING AND HIS SON , MITCH
SCAN BELOW FOR VIDEO OF ART INSTALLATION
To celebrate the connections that Scotch College has formed with our Indigenous students , families and communities , the renowned artist Mick Harding was commissioned to create an artwork that would symbolise the respect we have for Aboriginal culture and history . Mick is a proud Taungurung man who has been commissioned to make artworks for many museums , public art spaces such as Birrarung Marr and international dignitaries . Australia was once a continent of many different cultures and language groups . On the lands where Scotch is situated , the Woiwurrung language was spoken by the Wurrundjeri people .
The Woiwurrung or Wurrundjeri was one of five tribes who made up the Kulin nation .
To the people of the Kulin nation , Bundjil was the creator , symbolised by an eagle , which created all of the world for humans to live in . Waa was a protector to the people of the Kulin nation . There are many stories about Bundjil and Waa which are part of the culture and rituals of the Wurrundjeri people .
After six years of planning , consultation with Boroondara council and seeking the approval of elders , input from Scotch ’ s Indigenous students and disruptions with lockdowns , Mick completed the artwork in May this year . A magnificent carving of Bundjil the wedge-tailed eagle and Waa the Crow are wrapped around the trunk of a centuries-old gum tree .
This artwork , the Bundjil and Waa scar tree , sits as a feature in the Indigenous garden which our Curator , Michael Smith and his team have developed over the last decade . It is designed to be used as a place of connection for all of the community , for contemplation and the respectful sharing of stories of the Indigenous people of Australia , the oldest continuous living culture on earth .
YUDHA SCHOLES – HEAD OF ART
54 Great Scot Issue 169 – September 2023