Dennis Golding with Collide Public Art Initiative

Through the wind and water, 2022

St David Avenue Park

Through the wind and water explores topographical patterning of the local landscapes and waters as a way of acknowledging First Nations people’s cultural connection to Country. The three panels present an illustration of curved lines depicting the Dee Why coastline, as well as the lagoon that was often a place where the black swans swam. As the panels connect from a certain view, the shape of a black swan is seen on the base of the sculptures to highlight the natural environments surrounding this site, as well as connecting to First Nations communities within the Northern Beaches region. 

The artwork stands as an acknowledgement for the stories and memories embedded within the custodianship of the surrounding lands of the Cammeraygal, Guringai and Borogegal people, who care for their Country now and who have done so since time immemorial. As the wind carries all who gather and meet on this site that connects the water to land, this work reminds us that this land has always been occupied, and is cared for with awareness and respect.  

James Voller of Collide Public Art Initiative, worked in collaboration with Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist, Dennis Golding to develop and realise this work at the St David Avenue Park. The site was identified in the Dee Why Town Centre Master Plan 2013 and Placemaking + Public Art Dee Why Town Centre 2015, as a location for a significant public artwork. 

Dennis Golding

Dennis Golding is a Kamilaroi/Gamilaraay artist and curator based in Sydney. With references to science fiction and pop culture archetypes of the superhero laden throughout much of his work, Golding’s practice explores political, social and cultural representations of Aboriginal history through a critical lens. In pursuing colonial portrayals of Aboriginal history and identities, Golding seeks to create new impressions of contemporary Aboriginal cultural identity that is both empowering and liberated from colonial narratives.

Dennis Golding is a member of the recently founded Re-Right Collective, and a current artist in residence at Artspace Sydney. Most recently, he won the Aboriginal Art Award in the 2019 Fishers Ghost Art Awards, and has been named a finalist of the 2020 NSW Visual Arts Emerging Fellowship. Golding holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from UNSW Art and Design.

James Voller

James Voller is a New Zealand born, Melbourne-based photographic artist.

Since moving to Melbourne in 2012, he has developed a practice that works with a range of different communities, both in galleries and public spaces.

He has previously been included in several group exhibitions, including Streets of Gold at the Museum of London in 2012. In 2010, he received the Ethel Susan Jones Travelling Scholarship from the University of Canterbury to undertake research in Europe and also completed the RMIT Krems Artist Residency in Austria. James’s practice is focused on creating large-scale public art works that examine place and architecture.

James is the founder of Collide Public Art Initiative, a public art initiative working across design, research, and facilitation of artworks in public spaces. Collide combines temporary works, residency-based research, exhibitions and events, and collaborates with developers and architects to produce large-scale permanent works. 

Working with individual artists, curators and galleries, Collide generates collaborations that add to the diversity and scope of public art in Australasia. These collaborations provide opportunities for artists from all backgrounds to work at scale within the public realm.