The Voice of the Maribyrnong

2025

Single channel 4K video, 5:03 looped

Located on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation, the Maribyrnong River has been impacted by the violent industrial practices of colonial settlers. Following settlement, the Maribyrnong River was used as both a transport route and a drain for waste products discarded from factories. Bluestone was extracted from quarries surrounding the river, and used to construct buildings such as gunpowder magazines that advanced colonial violence. Early photographs of the Maribyrnong River reflect imperial perspectives, framing it as either an idyllic pastoral landscape or as a resource for industrial growth. 

The Voice of the Maribyrnong uses videography, photography and sound to interrogate colonial histories of the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries, reframing the river as a living entity rather than a resource for industrial advancement. Using methods that aim to ‘make with’ the Maribyrnong River such as underwater videography through which the river guides the camera’s motion, I seek to emphasise the river’s agency and explore the potential for collaboration with water bodies. Punctuated by archival and contemporary photographs, the work aims to reveal the settler-colonial history of Maribyrnong River while drawing attention to the violent imperial history of landscape photography. 

Archival material courtesy of Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West unless specified. 

Image of ‘Stone masons at work, Standard Quarries, Footscray’ appearing at 03:20 and 03:39 sourced from State Library Victoria. No copyright restrictions apply.

Video still 02:41