Detail on art work

- The Proclamation written on the paper at the top of the work is from Governor Major General Sir Richard Bourke, 1835. It declared Terra Nullius in Australia, and was written to stop the Non-indigenous Tasmanians attempting to buy land from the Aboriginal communities around what is now Melbourne. (https://www.foundingdocs.gov.au/item-did-42.html )

- The boats and ships on the base are caught up in the collapsing netting, now entwined with barbed wire. They wrestle to break free.

- The Proclamation Document is burning away.

- The boats and ships near the Proclamation Document are upside down and turned around.

- The holes in the document allow the boats and ships to see each other.

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“Reconciliation Tasmania seeks to assist the many Tasmanians seeking truth and reconciliation in order to make our State more welcoming and informed for all.” (Reconciliation Tasmania, www.rectas.com.au)

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Christian Scriptures, Mark 12:31). Treat others as you would like to be treated.

“Spirituality is recognizing and celebrating that we are all inextricably connected to each other by a power greater than all of us, and that our connection to that power and to one another is grounded in love and compassion. Practicing spirituality brings a sense of perspective, meaning and purpose to our lives.” (The Gifts of Imperfection, Brene Brown)

“It is clear from the journals of the explorers that few (settlers) were in Australia to marvel at a new civilisations; they were here to replace it.” “To acknowledge the (pre-colonial) history of the country, and the social, agricultural, and philosophical achievements of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait people, does not put the economy at risk. Restoring Aboriginal pride in the past and allowing that past to inform the future will remove the yoke of despair from Aboriginal people.”

(Dark Emu, Bruce Pascoe, 2014)