Physical description
Mural
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the place now called Victoria, and all First Peoples living and working on this land. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders — past, present and future.
Please be aware that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are advised that this website may contain culturally sensitive material — images, voices and information provided by now deceased persons. Content also may include images and film of places that may cause sorrow.
Some material may contain terms that reflect authors’ views, or those of the period in which the item was written or recorded but may not be considered appropriate today. These views are not necessarily the views of Victorian Collections.
Users of this site should be aware that in many areas of Australia, reproduction of the names and photographs of deceased people is restricted during a period of mourning. The length of this time varies and is determined by the community.
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Mural
Old uncle is standing on the mountainside watching over the modern-day empires built on Aboriginal land shaking his head, saying: “they are doing it again, every empire has a rise and fall”. It’s something that has never been learnt over time. — Josh Muir
Josh Muir’s work, Roots, was the first temporary artwork to be installed on the Gallery Annex Wall on the approach to Alfred Deakin Place, Police Lane in Ballarat Central. The space is an important site to host this work given that Alfred Deakin Place is commonly used as a place of discussion, engagement, protest and performance.
Roots was a temporary artwork made using a printed vinyl application, in Alfred Deakin Place Ballarat installed in November 2019.
elder, aboriginal and torres strait islander
‘The base of the tower is a house, the geometry transformed and distended, merging into the attenuated shaft surmounted by two seeds. The topmost seed is gold, recalling Ballarat’s history as the centre of the Victorian gold rush, and also symbolising the sun’. - Jackie Cooper
Stainless steel panelling and shaping on armature. Set into raised platform of bluestone pavers.
point to sky, akio makigawa, modern
Victorian Collections acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first inhabitants of the nation and the traditional custodians of the lands where we live, learn and work.