Djirra Binak

Djirra Binak (Reed Basket) is a dynamic sculptural installation created by Murrup Biik in collaboration with Collide Public Art Initiative. Located in Kalorama along the ngurrak barring trail, Djirra Binak honours the Wurundjeri people as the Traditional Owners of goranwarrabil (the Dandenong Ranges), their woiwurrung language and Ancestral connections. Aunty Kim says “the artwork is a celebration of Country. Being on Country and working with natural materials connects me to my land and Ancestors, protecting and preserving intimate knowledge for future generations. Djirra is the reed (Lomandra longifolia) that lives on Wurundjeri Country, providing sustenance in a broad range of ways. Binak is the basket, the symbol of women providing for family. It’s the vessel for holding, nurturing and caring.”
At the heart of the installation is a detailed photographic render of one of Aunty Kim’s woven baskets. Etched in white across several layers of glass, its intricate form hovers above a generous planting of traditional fibre plants employed in Aboriginal weaving practices.
As Chris Joy observes, “A pile of unused glass plates on the studio floor gave me the idea to create a three-dimensional hologram of Aunty Kim’s basket, and therefore a way to honour her weaving practice, matrilineal cultural traditions, and women’s custodianship of lands and waters.”

Title: Djirra Binak

Site: Ngurrak barring trail Kalorama

Client: Yarra Ranges Council

Concept: Chris Joy, Aunty Kim Wandin

Technical coordination: Collide Public Art