Standing Stories is an outdoor gallery of three-dimensional artworks (sculptures) installed at the ‘Back O Bourke’ Exhibition Centre, in Bourke NSW.
The sculptures each represent a story or perspective from a local Aboriginal person or family in the area. Bourke has a significant Aboriginal population of over 20% with an estimated 22 language groups represented in the shire.
These sculptures, and the stories they represent, provide a focal point for the community to learn more about the history of the region as it pertains to Aboriginal people and cover aspects such as spiritualism, symbolism, and even philosophies or world views.
For each of the works, there is an accompanying short film that tells the story of the work from the perspective of the participant and is accessible via a mobile device through a QR code, providing a deeper, and closer experience for the viewer.
Created through partnerships between the lead artist and the subject participants over a five-year period between 2017 and 2022, the works will ultimately take their place in a ‘sculpture trail’ near their current location.