Binding the Land Together, 2025 (Ngarna Ngarruwa Karuma Ngarrawadanguma enena - manja Akuwaduwada)

Binding the Land Together (Ngarna Ngarruwa Karuma Ngarrawadanguma enena-
manja Akuwaduwada) is a major ghost net art project created in collaboration
between Anindilyakwa Arts and the Ghost Net Collective, commissioned by South32.
The three artworks - Land (Erriberriba), Stream and Jungle (Adalyuma akwa
Murungwena), and Ocean and Coast (Makarda akwa Mijiyelya) - were created by
twenty Warnindilyakwa artists working alongside Lynnette Griffiths and Marion
Gaemers from the Ghost Net Collective.

The project took many hands and many months to complete. Ghost nets were
deconstructed into strands and colours before being woven into large-scale
landscapes, each filled with intricate detail. Up close, you can see brain coral
radiating, yams leaves dancing, and streams babbling through the woven scenes.
These pieces tell deep stories of Country, sea, and the changes being felt across the
Groote Archipelago.

“We are working with ghost net creating the land that we see. It’s about environment.
Changes in the environment. We see the place changing every year. Coastline is
changed every year. Seeing ghost net washed up and trapping marine life – it
damages the reef and corals, it damages the turtles and dugongs. It won’t be the
same for the next generations.”

– Bernadette Watt, Alice Durilla and Stephanie Durilla

Ghost nets are abandoned fishing nets drifting into Australian waters arriving in the
Groote Archipelago at an alarming rate. The Anindilyakwa Land & Sea Rangers
dedicate significant time and resources to removing these nets, which threaten
marine life, disrupt coastal ecosystems, and damage the once pristine beaches of
the region.

As part of the project, a group of Anindilyakwa artists travelled to Perth to see the
works installed at South32’s headquarters and lead weaving workshops during
NAIDOC Week. These hands-on sessions gave employees and their families a
chance to learn traditional weaving techniques and hear stories of Groote Eylandt
directly from the artists.

The artists were proud to see their works in their new home - transforming
corporate spaces into places of cultural storytelling and environmental awareness.
The skills, ideas, and inspiration gained from the project will continue to shape future
artworks.

A short film about Binding the Land Together, produced by ALC Media, will be
released soon on Anindilyakwa Arts and Anindilyakwa Land Council channels.