AUSTRALIA. Perth Airport is celebrating the opening of a new pedestrian skybridge which features a soundscape and art installations dedicated to the indigenous Noongar families.
The bridge links the Australian city’s new Metronet Airport Line commuter rail service, which opens on 9 October, to the airport terminals.
Perth Airport CEO Kevin Brown said that the pedestrian bridge link to Airport Central station provides a “seamless connection for passengers arriving at or departing from the airport and combines some incredible art and storytelling”.
“We form part of a modern travelling network… and we greatly value the responsibility of being the first point of connection to the vibrant and unique cultural heritage of our State’s Aboriginal people for international and interstate visitors” – Perth Airport CEO Kevin Brown
“Perth Airport sits on the traditional lands of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar Nation and formed part of traditional travelling networks.
“Today, we form part of a modern travelling network; one which connects people across the globe to our home, and we greatly value the responsibility of being the first point of connection to the vibrant and unique cultural heritage of our State’s Aboriginal people for international and interstate visitors.
“This is why we engaged with local Noongar families to create a soundscape which can be heard throughout the bridge which provides reflections on the significance of the Derbarf Yerrigan (the Swan River) and Wadjak Boodja (Whadjuk Country) and their personal experiences of this place.”
The soundscape offers a short audio journey through the Swan River region, moving through areas of the land and waters at different times of the day and night. It takes listeners from one end of the Swan River to the other over the course of a day, featuring differing weather conditions and a Traditional Custodian sharing stories and viewpoints from a cultural perspective.
Perth Airport’s Aboriginal Partnership Group has named the bridge Worf Bidi (meaning sky and path) to honour the connections the families have with the land.
Talented local artists Nani Creative, Jade Dolman and Crispian Warrell were commissioned to produce traditional artwork throughout the bridge. Warrell’s artwork is featured on two travelators while Dolman has installed two murals representing connection to ocean and land.
“These murals are about our connection to Boodjar and how important it is to give back to country when we take,” she said. “This reciprocal relationship has been practiced by Noongars on this country for thousands of years.”
The skybridge provides an elevated sheltered walkway across the main terminal car park, providing direct access to the T1 forecourt. The modular bridge was installed in 12 sections, has three entry points and includes energy-efficient walkway travellators to speed up pedestrian transit between the airport and train station.
Artwork at the terminal entrance includes a map, with ‘stars’ arranged in the international flight path from the airport. They are connected as a journey line and above the stars are people caring for and giving colour to the land. Other details, including kangaroo, emu, goanna, dingo, coolamon dishes, spear and campfires, relate to Noongar symbols. Another mural details the area’s wetlands, swamps and lakes.
As reported, Perth Airport is a Supporter Member of the Indigenous Art Code, formed following a Senate inquiry into Australia’s Indigenous visual arts industry.
The airport is calling for fair and ethical trade with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island artists and transparency in promoting and selling artwork, particularly projects targeting the tourist market.
Perth Airport Chief Commercial Officer Kate Holsgrove said: “Perth Airport is committed to reconciliation and recognising the strong cultural connection that the Whadjuk people and other members of the Noongar Nation have to the airport estate – and our association with the Code is just another initiative on our reconciliation journey.”
Earlier this year, the airport partnered with the Community Arts Network (CAN) in a powerful First Nations truth-telling exhibition.
The multimedia Nglauk Waangkiny (Us Talking) exhibition honoured the lives and legacies of ten respected Aboriginal Elders.
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