Proposed Kings Park Genestreaming Journey Sculpture

In 2017 Noongar Elder Aunty Carol Pettersen OAM and Ben Beeton conceived of a sculpture that would act as the foundations for a National Tourism Trail connecting regional stories of conservation, culture and science.

In 2019, through the development of visual literacy teaching tools at ANU Ben Beeton designed a sculpture that was capable of sharing scientific research, conservation and culture. The sculpture was effectively a giant evolutionary tree. On the base plate a phylogenetic tree of regional speciation was depicted. The inside art featured field naturalist art depicting selected species that were represented in the phylogenetic tree and regional geology, the outside featured aboriginal artists work from the region.

We opened the first sculpture at Twin Creeks nature reserve in 2021. Professor Steve Hopper and Dr Noel Nannup became ambassadors for the project.

Later that year we undertook and artists residency at Mount Magnet for the Astro Rocks Festival where we experimented with the first Augmented Reality sculpture. During this time in Perth Alan Barret had met Aunty Carol and Dr Noel Nannup at Danjoo Koorliny and he expressed interest in a physical sculpture at Kings Park.

We had a zoom meeting with staff at Kings Park and later travelled to Perth where we met Alan and Professor Hans Lambers. We discussed where a physical sculpture or AR sculpture might be placed? It was decided that the Kings Park Sculpture would be an AR sculpture with the potential of creating a physical sculpture at a future point.

In the following months we opened a second physical sculpture in the Bunya Mountains in Qld.

We received funding from Lottery West to develop a tourism trail of physical and AR sculptures commencing at Kings Park then Capel, Northcliffe, Denmark, Twin Creeks Nature Reserve, Bremer Bay, Ravensthorpe, Wave Rock and Kellerberrin. Alan Barratt wrote a letter of support for the project.

At this time we called the project the Genestreams Songlines Sculptures. Since the initial name we have learnt more on cultural sensitivity in using the name Songlines and we have changed it to Journeys which everyone has been happy with. We changed Genestreams to Genestreaming to reference the process of renewal. Hence, we now operate under the title the Genestreaming Journey Sculptures. The trail in the South West is titled the Gondwana Link Genestreaming Journey Sculpture Trail.

In partnership with GeoParks WA we also received funding to create a documentary on the tourism trail from Main Roads and Lotterywest.

We opened an Augmented Reality Genestreaming Journey sculpture at Alice Springs. People access the sculpture via a QR code which links to a webpage. This is how our AR sculptures operate as the QR code also provides information on a webpage about the project.

Most recently we opened a sculpture at Singapore Gardens by the Bay. We have good connections with the Singapore team who were very happy with the public’s response to their sculpture.

Through consultation and experience with many communities we have developed a new process to more effectively introduce local Aboriginal artists to the project. Dr Noel Nannup and Aunty Carol Pettersen both believe that this new approach is how we can best communicate what we are developing.

Our process is as follows.

1) We create the field naturalist work and evolutionary tree base plate first

2) We publish the Augmented Reality Sculpture leaving the outside blank

3) We then show local Aboriginal artists where their art could be placed

4) Artists wishing to contribute who are approved by the appropriate organizations for the region will have images of their art featured on the AR sculpture

5) This is an optional step where by we create a physical sculpture

We have completed the Field Naturalist work for the Kings Park sculpture which, as envisaged by Aunty Carol connects the regional ecology with the ecology of ecosystems along the Gondwana Link. The lengthy research for the Evolutionary Tree Base Plate was undertaken by Gary Muir and Nathan McQuoid. The base plate has been generated. The art is created by scientific illustrator Mali Moir and myself.

Using the QR code placed on an A4 flier we would like permission to place the Augmented Reality Genestreaming Journey Sculpture on display at Kings Park. We have been told that the Kings Park team would design the flier. The Whadjuk Cultural Advisory Committee would like the artists who will be featured to be local artists. In accord with these wishes we will invite local Aboriginal artists to contact us if they would like their art to be featured on the Augmented Reality sculpture and we will then ask the Whadjuk Cultural Advisory Committee if these artists are suitable. If artists are approved by the Whadjuk Cultural Advisory Committee we will feature their work on the AR Genestreaming Journey Sculpture. Its very easy to update the sculpture.

Here is a link to the Kings Park page and AR sculpture. Please ensure to click on the Deep Time Spire in the AR experience which is the middle button. The field naturalist artwork was created as per Aunty Carols vision of a Kings Park project that connected the flora of the Kings Park region to the flora of the South West. Please select the view details on the right to view the art in detail.

At present we are installing the signs and Sculptures at the other locations along the Gondwana Link Genestreaming Journey Sculptures Tourism Trail.