Testimonials from traditional custodians

We’ve started chatting with Indigenous custodians from other regions about Reclaim the Void. You can hear a clip from the response from Anne Poelina, Nyikina Warrwa custodian of the Martuwarra and amazing pioneer of First Law, on our media page… Anne also speaks an important message about Indigenous wisdom and climate change:

I think you’re onto something really magical here, and I want to say this is a project the world should be supporting, not just a few people here and there…You’ve got a wonderful message of showing unity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous…because that’s our story as Indigenous people - we’re trying to preserve the land and the rivers and all of this amazing culture for our fellow Australians, if not indeed the world, because it belongs to the world. It is of that calibre of wisdom. That needs to be recognised, particularly in terms of climate change and climate chaos…. This is about humanity and the wellbeing of mother earth and how do we all work together to achieve that. We are running out of time, seriously… Art is the magic that we need right now, that brings people together. I showed the project to the elders – there was 6 different language groups - and they said it’s very beautiful and very magic.. It made us think about what we could do up here.

Testimonials from prior camp participants 

The time I spent taking part in this project was truly sacred to me. It was a beautiful time to connect to the land, to hear the stories of this country and to take part in this powerful symbolic healing of the damage we continue to do to this beautiful land and it’s indigenous cultures. For me personally this has been a time of growth, of slowing down, of listening to and feeling country, of building community and of healing a collective wound that continues to be deepened by our mindless consumption. This project has the power to build community, to heal, to birth beauty through mindful creative action and to inspire positive change. Nathan

To sit on country and weave a rug was a mix of joy and peace. I have often wondered how I can contribute to reconciliation and I felt this was such a worthy process. Hearing dreaming stories and knowledge from Kado by the fire was such a treat. To weave is to commune with others. We shared moments of laughter, silence and child-like joy. I would recommend this to anyone wanting to connect. I left this retreat not knowing it's impact but as I sat in calm and stillness I realised I had been changed. A deepening of my connection to country and a hope that we could move forward together as a supportive society.  Elisha

The rug-weaving camp was a magical and healing experience out in the desert under the stars near Leonora. The weaving was fun and brought us all together for a common and beautiful purpose. Walking on Country with Kado, listening to stories of Ngalia western desert knowledge was both fascinating and showed breath-taking scenery. Vivienne and Kado did a remarkable job in bringing this experience together. Gael 

When I sit on the earth I feel connected to something bigger than myself.  When I am tearing strips of fabric it feels like something old is leaving and something new is becoming. When I weave these strips into a round rug, it feels like meditation and movement towards healing. Lyn 

I really enjoyed the experience, I loved choosing the colours for my rug and seeing how it looked when it was finished. I hope I can make more!” Ruby, 12yrs

The project may give the people whose land has been ravaged a chance to experience some sense of restitution. It is a project in which these people have assumed agency in making use of the desire of non-Indigenous allies to make some contribution to that restitution as well as an opportunity for their own children to be involved in creating their future. The project can help educate non-Indigenous individuals and groups about the long-term, and continuing, effects of specific colonialist practices e.g. mineral exploitation on the people and environment of the State. Kate

This was a wonderful opportunity to disconnect from the every day stress of work and life, to unwind by learning a new creative skill which could help to alleviate mental health challenges that some face. The silence and peace I experienced on country was a great reset for me, and I encourage many young people to connect to country like this.  I gained a calm and relaxed state of mind on country.  I was able to connect with myself on a deeper level and with others in the community sharing our thoughts and personal journeys of healing. The experience was magical. Natasha

The rug making camp exceeded all my expectations. Making the rugs on country, with welcome and holding by Kado and Deeva Muir, and by Vivienne, helped me be present with the project and project context. The camp also created a container that allowed distance from our otherwise lives, for conversations and deep reflective time. The camp allowed new possibilities of being present with land and community to emerge. It was a beautiful thing to weave with all these conversations and emerging possibilities and work toward a vision of healing and being with our land and our current practices of mining. Ailsa

To be out on country firstly is truly a magical experience and an honour. To be invited to spend time on this sacred land by the local community is very special. Making the rugs together in this space created many experiences for me, it was amazing to learn a new skill, to make time to be creative, to be able to recycle fabrics that would otherwise get "thrown away"; to spend time together whilst doing all of this enabled us to create a unique connection with the group. Holly

For me this project is important for several reasons: to give back to the local aboriginal community and to show our commitment as white people that we care about healing country and want to be an active part of working together to make this happen bit by bit; to create an experience for us to connect to nature/ country & ourselves which so many of us don't make time to do and for me this is a very important part of me being able to be the best version of myself; to have the opportunity to learn new skills & meet incredible humans; to spend time having fun, creating, letting our imaginations run wild with the weaving and to play; a way to re-purpose unwanted fabric. Anon

"Reclaim the void" is an important project because it helps us to realise how much the gaping mining holes left after extraction has scarred the land, but more importantly how deeply these holes have scarred the Aboriginal people emotionally and spiritually.  This is the least we can do to reclaim the landscape with artful recycled fabric, creating something beautiful to cover the toxic mess left behind, as a symbol of hope for future generations. Anon

Reclaim the Void was conceived by Vivienne Robertson in response to a community meeting in Leonora, where an elder expressed her pain at the mining holes left all over country. It was further nurtured and developed by Vivienne, Kado Muir and Deeva Muir between 2013 and 2020. It was named Reclaim the Void by Kado, and a rag-rug created by Lucy Ridsdale and brought to a camp on country co-led by Kado and Vivienne provided the inspiration for Kado deciding on rugs as the material to create the artwork.