The exhibition, Warrane, is centred around the idea of place, exploring Gadigal custodianship of Country and the influence that Lachlan and Elizabeth Macquarie had on the physical shape and identity of Sydney. Macquarie’s 50 Martin Place office is located on Gadigal Country and Warrane is the Sydney language word for Sydney Cove.
While acknowledging the negative effects of British occupation on Aboriginal people in Sydney, Warrane focuses on the agency and resilience of Aboriginal people in the area by exploring Gadigal connection to and Custodianship of Country.
Gadigal Elder Ray Davison, who features in the exhibition, said, “It’s wonderful that organisations like Macquarie Group and National Museum of Australia are getting Traditional Owners involved, celebrating our stories and sharing our voice, it’s empowering. In recent times I’ve seen and felt attitudes towards Aboriginal culture and perspective change so to have this exhibition on Traditional land, showing great respect and an attitude of wanting to get things right, it’s really important. I believe that if you are born on Country, you are part of Country, we all share this story, and that is essentially what the Warrane exhibition is about.”
Director of the National Museum of Australia, Mathew Trinca, said, “We’re delighted to partner with Macquarie on the Warrane exhibition, which explores Gadigal custodianship in an honest and collaborative dialogue, focusing on the changing landscape during the Macquarie era from Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal perspectives.”
Balarinji Managing Director, Ros Moriarty, said, “Australia’s foundational Indigenous narrative is still very often missing when we reflect on our country’s history. We’ve been delighted to work with Macquarie Group and the National Museum of Australia to help reveal this part of Sydney’s story in co-design with the city’s Traditional Custodians.”
Designed by interpretive design firm Trigger to be an immersive experience, the main visual and aural focus in the exhibition is on Gadigal voices. One standout piece of the exhibition is a captivating soundscape with poetry spoken in Sydney language by Gadigal man Joel Davison and Sydney language spoken by Gadigal women Alannah Davison and Tahlia Davison, with original music composed by Balarinji Creative Director and Yanyuwa man, Tim Moriarty.
