The Fire Within Exhibition

The Fire Within showcases Embers of Connection: A Journey Through Fire, Sand and Country – a new site-specific artwork by artist Lowell Hunter (Nyul Nyul) – alongside the groundbreaking immersive digital production The Earth Above: A Deep Time View of Australia’s Epic History. Together, these complementary experiences explore cultural connection to place within both Wadawurrung Country and across Australia.

Djilang (Geelong)-based artist Lowell Hunter, also known as The Salty One, tells stories of family, connection and identity through carving stories into sand using foot movements drawn from traditional dance. This sand-based installation was commissioned to coincide with NAIDOC Week and its theme: Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud. Fire can be seen as a connection to Country, to each other and to the longstanding artistic and cultural traditions that define Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Earth Above transports viewers into a world of deep time by exploring Australia’s last 140,000 years of history through both scientific and traditional knowledges. These stories have been shared and co-created by the communities of the people who live and care for that Country. By foregrounding voices and vision of Indigenous communities, this project traces the connections being made between archaeology and Indigenous knowledge systems. The planetarium experience investigates how the combined efforts and knowledge of Indigenous communities and science can help future-proof Australia’s biodiversity and heritage.

The Earth Above was developed through a collaboration between Deakin Motion Lab and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH). It seeks to increase public engagement and awareness of Australia’s ancient Indigenous heritage and environmental past and present by combining scientific research expertise with knowledge of filmmaking, participatory media, and immersive technologies.