Living Belonging
Sophie Thorley
Bachelor of Design in Architecture (Honours) and Master of Architecture | University of Sydney
“For me home and living belonging is the collective, both human and non-human, present and past. For it to be living requires balance and regeneration.”
MATERIALS: Plaster + beeswax + tea (processed) + wax dye
Artist Statement
"It’s the basalt lava from a volcanic eruption 24 million years ago. It’s more than 12 000 years of continuous custodianship by the Galibal clan of the Bundjalung Nation. It’s Kaiou gal - the place of the plain turkey. It’s Kyogle. It’s stolen. It’s destruction. It’s the displacement of the traditional owners.
It’s the remnants of a rainforest. It’s three generations of my family who farmed the land. It’s the dusty layer of the earthen floor in the disused hay shed. It’s the earth, water, and sky. It’s nurturing and sustaining. It’s in me, and I’m in it. It’s the good, the bad, and the shameful. It’s the banksia pod. It’s the food of nectar-feeding birds, mammals and insects. It’s fire - where from destruction there is opportunity for life and renewal. It’s bush regeneration. It’s voice, treaty and truth. It’s ‘YES’. It’s a proposal for a living belonging."
Synopsis
“The living belonging is about coexisting sovereignty, the collective, both human and non-human. It relates to: Kaiou – gal, Place of the plain turkey; Kyogle; Eden Creek Road, Wyneden; my family’s farm. The piece is made from clay and Bunjalung soil which contains stories of place from deep time to present. It is the basalt lava from a volcanic eruption 24 million years ago. It is more than 12 000 years of continuous custodianship by the Galibal clan of the Bundjalung Nation. It is the remnants of a rainforest. It is three generations of my family who farmed the land. The piece is about our mutual liberation, both in Australia and globally.
The banksia symbolises the opportunity for renewal – even after fire, which is part of the plant’s germination process. The banksia has personal significance as it belongs to the endangered Eastern Suburbs Banksia Scrub near where I live. The Banksia Serrata has been growing in this region for millennia under the custodianship of the Gadigal people. However, the post-colonial habitat loss has reduced it to 3% of its original cover.
The scrub is important habitat for nectar-feeding birds, mammals and insects. It is also where I participate in bush regeneration. A Banksia seed pod was found on the bitumen footpath at the University of Sydney Blackwattle Lane exit. A low-heat fire was used to open the pod so the seed could be collected. The ash was used to create a ceramic glaze. Each plant creates a unique glaze, due to their unique mineral composition influenced by the soil in which they grow. This speaks to the interconnectedness of all things. It also speaks to balance and regeneration, as the seeds will be planted as part of the proposed living belonging, and returned to where they can flourish. "
