Connection to Country

On their first day together as members of the National Sculpture Garden Design Competition jury, Barkandji artist and curator Nici Cumpston OAM joined fellow judges Teresa Moller and Philip Goad for a walk through the garden.

'It was absolutely the right thing to do. It enabled us to see and feel the various spaces that we were about to be considering proposals for, but it also really engaged and grounded us in this place.'

For Cumpston, an understanding of the importance of Country and positionality, and the opportunity to honour what was always here, was a key part of the Garden revitalisation project. So too was acknowledging First Nations peoples’ long-standing connections not just to the Garden but the surrounding Ngunnawal and Ngambri Country.

Cumpston was reassured by the sensitivity to incorporating First Nations perspectives and expertise in the winning design team, CO-AP Holdings’, approach. Bradley Mapiva Brown from Bagariin Ngunnawal Cultural Consulting has been part of the CO-AP Holdings team since the start but now that they have won, their engagement and planning will begin in earnest.

'I think quite often in conversations around First Nations principles, ways of being and experiences [of] Country, there can be a lot of rhetoric and words being used without the full understanding of what it all actually means. A lot of what will happen with this proposal will play out as we go forward. It hasn’t been possible or appropriate for that engagement to have happened before knowing the outcome of the competition ... so it’s something that will evolve and I think that’s a healthy place to begin a trusting respectful relationship; that the conversations have started and that they are open and respectful and all parties are excited for this engagement. That’s all it needs to be right now.'

'The importance of the Garden and the connection with the Gallery needs to be embraced and given to more people; that chance to come through Country into the Gallery and to acknowledge Country before entering, and not in a superficial way. There are so many layers to this that can be missed in our day-to-day interactions with where we live.'

Whenever Cumpston travels to Canberra, she makes a point to visit and spend time in the National Sculpture Garden. She has formative memories of visiting as a young person with her mother, camera in hand, and felt honoured to join Moller, Goad and Gallery Director Dr Nick Mitzevich to be able to think about its future.

'I worry about whether or not all of the visitors to the National Gallery are aware of the Sculpture Garden. So the idea of this project revitalising what is already here, is exciting. And for me, to have the chance to learn more about the history of the site and the building, and then to work hand-in-hand with Philip, Teresa and Nick, has been really eye-opening and enriching for me.'

Cumpston sees the revitalisation as an opportunity to bring focus back to the Garden and to improve thoroughfares from the lake and surrounding areas to the Gallery. 'Thinking about how the Garden can engage the outside public more, and how it can be really opened up to the visitors to the National Gallery was an outcome I was hoping for.'

Like Moller and Goad, Cumpston was unanimous in her praise for CO-AP Holdings' winning proposal. 'The depth of their understanding and their respective expertise really came through, it is exciting to think about the increase in biodiversity to the gardens and how that’s going to be realised, alongside architectural elements like the pavilion.'

Cumpston especially loved how CO-AP Holdings talked about the Garden’s dynamism in terms of colour and seasonality. 'It was impressive to see how they are going to bring a national sense of seasonality from across the country through the diversity of plantings … I got excited thinking about how the seasonal changes will be a point of reference for people to come and celebrate the plants that are blooming at various times of the year. They also talked about the possibilities for an enriching education program through the Garden as another way to bring people in and provide a platform for learning and engagement.'

As a highly respected artist and curator, Cumpston is also aware of the opportunities to extend the educational work of the Gallery and its collection through the Garden’s renewal. 'A big part of the role of galleries, especially the National Gallery, is to bring people along on the journey to understand, treasure and honour where we are [and who we are] and why this project is happening.'

'It’s an important opportunity to really enable people to have a deeper understanding of the importance of place, for local people, but for everyone who visits. To learn about, experience and honour Country through works of art, through the plantings, through the conversations and opportunities that will be opened up with these new spaces for art, for ceremonial performance, and through all kinds of engagement.'

At the end of one of their days together, Cumpston, Goad and Moller wandered back out into the Garden and found themselves in James Turrell’s skyspace, Within without 2010. It was just as dusk hit, and the light transformed around them. 'It was like magic. We just happened to be there at the right moment. In fact it’s been like that the whole time we’ve been working together on this project, our individual interpretation, insight and perception of the ideas presented has been in alignment. And I think that’s what’s so important about the revitalisation of the Garden. It’s about the experiences that people will have that will form lasting memories and endear them to the gardens, just like it has for each of us.'

Further information on the National Gallery Sculpture Garden Design Competition is available here.