Empty Arms

Empty Arms (2023)
City of Adelaide (Kaurna Country)

Intended as a place to reflect, remember, pay respect, heal and come together, ‘Empty Arms’ is a collaboration with Aunty Yvonne Koolmatrie, a Ngarrindjeri weaver from the Riverland. An integration of art and landscape, the artwork and surrounds create a place of healing for members of the Stolen Generations and provide opportunity to engage the broader community to better understand past and present experiences.

Fine details were included throughout the landscape and central focal artwork; a mother figure with arms held out as if nurturing a missing baby. She has no eyes because she saw too much, no ears because she heard it all and no mouth because she couldn’t speak about it. The bronze woven details capture Aunty Yvonne Koolmatrie’s open weaving technique and unique style, while the composition of the landscaping and surrounding forms are designed to invite visitors in to sit with the mother, prompting contemplation and reflection. The inclusion of sculptural rushes highlight links between the natural world, cultural life and rejuvenation, with footprints of Koolmatrie’s grandchildren marked in the ground to provoke ideas of absence and a deep longing for children to return home. Rippled textures can be seen on the seating to represent water as an element of healing and cleansing.

Concept refinement, detail design, fabrication, landscaping, civil works and installation were undertaken by Exhibition Studios, while working closely with Adelaide City Council and Wax Design.

Project team/collaborators:
Aunty Yvonne Koolmatrie
Karl Meyer
City of Adelaide
Exhibition Studios
WAX Design
Bronzewing Foundry
Tonkin Engineering
Ochre Dawn – Facilitation & Community Workshops
Traditional Owners & First Nations Cultural Collaborators 

Awards:
– 2024 AILA SA Award of Excellence (Small Projects)
– 2024 AILA National Landscape Architecture Award for Small Projects

National Award Citation
“This project involved the creation of a space for healing and reconciliation. The design team have used a refined material palette and a thoughtful approach to texture to craft a place that honours the Stolen Generations and resonates with extraordinary pain. This exemplary project is the culmination of strategic planning and sustained leadership that has integrated culture, story and artwork. The work demonstrates the positive outcomes that result when landscape architects collaborate in a genuine way with cultural advisors and artists. By foregrounding storytelling and cultural preservation, the design team have delivered a powerful outcome for the community.”

Images: Brad Griffin Photography