Anonymous Sojourners in the Australian Bush

Research Background My research on 'Curating Inclusive Cities through Art' is transdisplinary, drawing from contemporary art discourses on socially engaged art practices, urban spatial theory and urban sociology. Social engagement is written about by key writers Suzanne Lacy, Grant Kester, Claire Bishop and Nicholas Bourriard. Research Contribution My research asks the question: How can socially engaged art practices engage urban communities to their local environment, historical and present day narratives to creatively re-imagine their community? The development of the 'Anonymous Sojourners in the Australian Bush' addressed this question by the developing a socially engaged public artwork with the St Andrews community and Nillumbik Shire for the 'Living in the Landscape Public Art Incubator'. The project focused on the unknown history of Chinese miners buried in St Andrews, who were present in the town during its establishment in the 1850s. There is little information about the Chinese community buried there, but it is acknowledged in historical documents, which I read as a 'hungry ghost' of the community. Many of the miners didn't survive the harsh conditions of the mining sites of the era and tragically were unable to return home. The project acknowledges their history and metaphorically returns them home, through a series of lanterns sculptures honouring their contribution. Significance The project was funded by Nillumbik Shire and developed with the Wadambuk Community Centre, the St Andrews Men's Shed, the St Andrews Historical Society and the St Andrews Arts Group and the Chinese Museum. The project took a local history and elevated that history to national significance through the support of the Chinese Museum, by recognising the history aligning with national historical narratives in relation to the Chinese-Australian community. The work was published in Garland Magazine's online exhibition On Offer, June 2018 https://garlandmag.com/article/on-offer/