Sculptures at the Top End, 1976

“They were a condensation of my whole philosophy and approach to art, my inspiration. It was my attempt to give the essence of my work. Just making objects never really interested me.

Paul Pholeros and I got art grants to work with people in communities.We got a grant and spent the whole thing on an airplane and a pilot. It was the smartest thing I ever did. With a light plane, we landed at different outstations and did art. All the outstations had massive tips. A great source of airplane wings. Then we would make a little humpy art gallery and have an opening. We would make little sculptures for our hosts. We were guests of Aborigines wherever we went. We would sit around a fire making art while they made didgeridoos.

Back in Sydney we would show a film and exhibit sample sculptures of our installation. Each symbolic of the larger one we made at the Top End.

• Rocky Point Out Station
• Maningrida “Man, Nature, tracking sun, collecting water, old survival thing. Interacting with nature, natural systems. Visuals came out of dealing with the elements. Lots of people are doing that now. In those days we were the only ones.”
• Burnette Downs
• Wallagorang
• Urapunga
• Numbulwah
• Kowangyawa “We were like kids having fun using natural materials and different processes. It was a childlike approach.”
• Mt House Station

Rocky Point Out Station

Maningrida

Top End

 

 Wallagorang

 Urapunga

 Mt House Station

Mornington