The recent ‘Gunya to the Bunyas’ immersion retreat organised by Gunya Meta was the latest in a number of ko-labbing weaving events we have organised and/or engaged in over the past 4 years or so.
We were asked to create an artistic representation about our journey to date. The picture of the sculpture is the image for this blog, and the story of its meaning is as follows:
The shells the white shells represent the various major events and activities so far, including facilitating the Yarns on Complexity with Indigenous Thinkers that are on our website, co-creating Third Space facilitation methods including working with the Stronger Smarter Institute and Riteways Wanjau holding a major public workshop, sharing speaking platforms at major conferences that weave Cautionary Tales from Indigenous Knowledges with Complexity Thinking and Practice – as well as some we have tried to get happening that are yet to emerge.
The coloured shells have some spiky bits – representing some of the sharp yarns we have had along the way as we build trust and relationality.
The Bunya nut provides the base for the platform on which we are building and Ko-creating. It also is spiky but robust and has strength. The abundance is predictable but not consistent, and we need to harvest when appropriate and the time is right. And, be prepared to wait when timing is ‘off’…
The base and platform are the only ‘person made’ elements. The middle platform supports the three areas of knowledge and practice we draw on:
- Indigenous Knowledges
- Complexity Principles and practice
- Neuroscience and Human Cognition
It is deliberately circular and undecorated.
The base is a repurposed mini food tray symbolic of shared sustenance and kinnection.
The branches represent the future options and opportunities, things that will emerge as we continue to weave and see what possibilities can be created.
It would seem 2025 will be the year that time spent building relationality will result in a number of important opportunities coming to fruition and we look forward to sharing as they progress.
