Curated by Balarinji Studio, the public art collection was co-created by Aboriginal artists Danny Eastwood, Jamie Eastwood, Danielle Mate, Jasmine Seymour, Leanne Watson and Balarinji Studio, and was conceived by Balarinji lead artist on the work’s genesis, Tim Moriarty.
Standing at 30-metre tall on the M12/Warami Drive interchange, this landmark sculpture tells the Dharug story of how Mariong, the Emu and Mother Spirit, became the Milky Way constellation. It creates an immersive ‘Welcome to Country’ for every traveller.
Read more about the M12 Motorway Aboriginal public art collection
The Great Emu in the Sky is a key theme throughout the M12 corridor. This theme was developed as part of Balarinji’s Designing with Country framework for the M12 Motorway that was created in co-design with locally-connected Aboriginal knowledge holders, storytellers and creative practitioners.
Like the Great Emu constellation which changes throughout the Aboriginal six seasons, the sculpture uses dynamic lighting to reveal two emu forms, each only visible from certain viewpoints; the one sitting on the nest and one in the night sky.
The Aboriginal Six Seasons of Western Sydney are represented by projected colour washes that reflect the current season.
