Site specific ephemeral installation by Paula Payne ‘Speaking to the Trees of New Horizons’ Spicers resort Maleny- Sculpture on the Edge 2019

I would like to pay my respects and acknowledge the traditional owners of this land and elders past and present; and to acknowledge the role that these magnificent Bunya trees hold in Indigenous culture.

 On consultation with locals and a traditional elder I was told that, “The Bunya trees are sacred trees, and that in this area there were many gatherings at the harvest of the Bunya nuts. Many clans came for miles and performed ritual and ceremony among the trees to connect and to gather the protein rich harvest.”[1]

The concept of Speaking to the Trees of New Horizons, highlights a need for connection to the natural environment and an acknowledgment and respect for the history and memories embedded in a place. I encourage the viewer to connect to this place, to see themselves as part of the natural environment, and to breath in these sacred trees that hold many stories of recent and ancient times.

[1] In conversation with Bianca Beetson; Kabi Kabi

Image Credits Matt Beatty and Paula Payne