Wyndham council has annouced Gunditjmara artist Dr Vicki Couzens will serve as lead artist on a public art project to be installed at Tarneit Community Learning Centre.
A program titled Voice of the Land, Voice of the People, Voice of our Heart – Mother Tongue artwork will inform the creative design and development of the new sculptural work.
More than 200 Wyndham community members have been so far part of the consultation process and have provided feedback to inform and develop the artistic brief for the sculpture.
The Tarneit artwork will be part of the Mother Language Public Art Project, which has other sculptures and artworks located throughout the world including in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Tbilisi, Georgia and at the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Ms Couzens is a Gunditjmara woman, Yoolongteeyt (cultural title) from the western districts of Victoria.
She has worked in Aboriginal community affairs for more than 40 years in the areas of language revitalisation, ceremony, community arts, public art, visual and performing arts and writing.
Wyndham creative city portfolio holder, Cr Marcel Mahfoud, said the council has been working with the Victorian Bangladeshi Community Foundation to develop a public art piece that pays homage to the importance of language and symbolises linguistic and language identity.
“Wyndham city values and appreciates the diversity of their residents and encourages them to celebrate their language and culture,” Cr Mahfoud said.
“This wonderful city is home to residents from over 162 different countries who bring with them different traditions, customs and languages that contribute to our city’s richness and vibrancy.”
See www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/services/arts-culture for more details.
