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“Warramee mittigar goorrum burruk. Teeart-ti murra Daruga pemel. Teeart-ti murra ya pemel ngalaringi bubbuna. Mittigar gurrung burruck gneene da Daraga pemel” (Uncle James Carrol - Darug Elder, Knowledge Holder).
“We acknowledge and pay respect to the people of the Darug nation. The Burramattagal are the traditional owners and custodians of the land where this project is situated”.
Cundall partnered with Darug Elder & Knowledge Holder, Uncle James Carrol to design a dynamic lighting design and sculptural installation for a design competition held by City of Parramatta that sought to revitalise a tired utility laneway and transform it into a distinctive attraction. ‘Burra burawa birrung gili’ is the outcome of deep listening to the First Nations narrative of place. It's about the relationship between the eel (burra - Darug) and the landscape, the Parramatta (Burramatta - Darug) River, the peoples, history, culture, and spirit of the area.
Cundall Lighting’s understanding of emotional, psychological, functional and technical aspects of light ensures the interplay of colour, illumination and shadow elevates the lane in both daylight and night. The installation fuses elements of the past in the winding curves of the main Burra (eel) following the form of the Parramatta River that stretches along the lane with its head toward the river to feed the burra with spirit and life, and the small burras a sleep in an infinity shape that align with and accompany the mother burra on her journey to the water.
This project translates the deep history of place and merging it with the contemporary world. Collaborating with Darug Elder, Knowledge Holder, Uncle James Carrol, the suppliers, and the fabricators gave tangible form to a story that is thousands of years old, bringing it into the present day in shifting intertwined rainbow hues of light and shadow.
Design: Cundall
First Nation Consultants: Uncle Jim Carrol & Matt Fellingham
Structural Engineering: Event Engineering
Lighting supplier: Co: Lab
Eel fabricator: Alchemy + Co
Steel manufacturer: ASL Steel
