Care and comfort in an era of solastalgia: Utilising a socially engaged art practice to craft collaborative ecofeminist activism in the Darling River and Menindee Lakes System

Abstract

This project examines my connections with the Menindee Lakes and the Darling River, which began seven years ago. I was motivated to understand the environmental crisis evident in the area as a result of drought and the mismanagement of water by government bodies and corporations who have failed, and continue to fail, to collaborate and consult with Aboriginal groups. The interactions throughout the research project occurred with Ngiyampaa and Barkandji women regarding ecological concerns leading to the demise of their water systems.

The project was guided by Aboriginal knowledge provided by Aunty Beryl Carmichael and employs the methodologies of yarning and deep listening applied to an expanded textile practice. Yarning and deep listening informed a productive and cooperative, respect-based relationship, contextualised through an ecofeminist approach with the aim of alerting others to the extent of ecological issues. I drew from the framework of socially engaged practice, which involved Sydney female artist participants assisting me with the project including the creation of a textile tree installation, participation in a community protest, and support with preparing an exhibition for the Menindee community.

I embarked on many trips to Menindee to engage in a highly personal, slow, and gradual approach that led to an emerging understanding of Country and its waterways that has initiated a lifetime learning process for me. I initially drew from Glenn Albrecht’s concept of solastalgia, defined as a sense of sadness that comes from losing familiarity and security of place, amplified in this case by listening to Aunty’s yarns of suffering and anguish shared by her family and community, and which can only be remedied by care and compassion.

Through careful and considered reparative methodologies, my creative pieces took multiple forms including an installation, a video and a community exhibition featuring hand-sewn textile banners used in a community protest. This research project raises awareness through art and eco-activism, highlighting environmental and spiritual losses on the Menindee Lakes and the Darling River. My respect and acknowledgement of Aboriginal people as custodians of Country provides an opportunity to see how ecosystems are resilient when cared for under these multigenerational knowledge systems.