Leempeeyt Weeyn (Campfire) 2021
stone, sand, wood, fire

Courtesy the artist

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of Australia are culturally and linguistically diverse with over 350+ distinct language groups. However, there are some shared aspects of culture, such as fire, which is an important element of culture across Australia. Fire is used for a multitude of purposes to allow us to survive, to thrive, to care for and maintain Country. We gather around fires to sing, to dance, to Story, and to nourish our Spirits.

Fire is central to our storytelling and intergenerational knowledge-sharing. We use smoke from fire to cleanse our bodies and spirits and as a central feature of many ceremonial practices.

Aunty Vicki Couzens, a highly respected Gunditjmara Keerray Wooroong knowledge holder, artist, culture warrior, curator, academic and language specialist, created Leempeeyt Weeyn (Campfire) for Emu Sky as a gathering place, a place of cleansing, a place to come together to share stories and, perhaps most powerfully, as an assertion of the cultural landscape – This is an Aboriginal place, we are still here and always will be!