PROJECT: Ngabu
DATE: 17 January – 27 April 2025
LOCATION: Overhead bridge at corner of Hickson Rd & Pottinger St, Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Sydney NSW 2000, Gadigal Country
CLIENT: Walsh Bay Precinct Association
Climb over this giant Dharawal shell art bridge while taking in the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ngabu will premiere at the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct for the Sydney Festival on Friday 17 January 2025.
Ngabu, 2025, public art installation and augmented reality
Artist: Aunty Lola Ryan
Designer: Joey Ruigrok van der Weven
Fabricator: Pink Cactus
Curator / producer: City People
Augmented reality: EyeJack
Walsh Bay is home to some formative stories of Country and First Nations cultural history. From the dreamtime story of Buri-buri the whale; to the many artefacts found in vast middens nearby; through to the first contact story of Patyegarang and William Dawes. Prominent among these stories is the emergence of shell art practices in the nineteenth century.
Aunty Lola Ryan hails from a lineage of esteemed Dharwal shell artists from La Perouse. She has designed Ngabu (Dharawal language for Nan / Grandmother) in homage to the series of shell harbour bridges created by her mother Lola Delia Ryan which are now found in the collections of our prominent cultural institutions (eg: AGNSW, MCA).
With Ngabu, Aunty Lola takes shell art to a new dimension in a giant interactive installation mounted on top of the overhead bridge on Hickson Rd. Climb up and over the arch of this giant Dharawal shell art bridge while also taking in the view of the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge.
The Ngabu journey continues via an augmented reality treasure hunt around Walsh Bay. Find the shell icons around the foreshore and with your smartphone unlock a selection of audio and video animations that interpret stories relevant to Walsh Bay.
WIN A NIGHT AT WALSH BAY
Nagangbi/ Hello!
Aunty Lola Ryan hails from a lineage of esteemed Dharawal shell artists from La Perouse. She has designed Ngabu (Dharawal language for Nan / Grandmother) bridge in homage to the series of shell harbour bridges created by her mother Lola Delia Ryan.
Collecting and preparing shells to create shell artworks is a detailed process. Shell artists travel from Sydney to the South Coast to find shells to make their creations. Remarkable shells are hiding across Walsh Bay foreshore. Can you help Aunty Lola find them?
Help Aunty Lola find all three (3) augmented reality shells in Walsh Bay and complete a brief survey for a chance to win our ‘NIGHT IN WALSH BAY’ prize pack.
// FULL TERMS & CONDITIONS here
// Image: Lola Delia Ryan and her sister Mavis Longbottom; photo: Peter McKenzie
