ARTWORK SPRAY PAINTED BY PROTESTERS TO HIGHLIGHT BURRUP HUB ROCK ART DESTRUCTION
BY ELIZA KLOSER
On the 19th of January artist’s spray painted Woodside Energy’s logo on the iconic Australian painting ‘Down on His Luck’ to protest the ongoing damage to sacred Murujuga rock art at Burrup Hub Peninsula.
Desmond Blurton, a Ballardong Noongar artist, and cultural man laid out the Aboriginal flag during the protest and said “cultural artwork that is sacred to our people is being destroyed in Western Australia. We must protect our artwork and our cultural heritage.”
Joana Partyka said she sprayed the logo on the artwork at the Art Gallery of Western Australia to protest climate change impacts.
“The Burrup Hub will emit 6 billion tons of CO2 by 2070, 12 times Australia’s current annual emissions, and making international action to limit warming to safe levels impossible,” she said.
The artwork is protected by clear plastic sheeting and was not damaged in the protest.
Raelene Cooper, Mardudhunera woman and former Chair of the Murujuga Aboriginal Corporation told Ngaarda Media she supported the protest.
“It’s very courageous what these individuals do they put themselves on the line for a for a meaningful cause and they’re basically putting it out there for everyone to see, these companies, global companies with a lot of money backing behind them and their influences are not above the law.”
“They're burning our country they’re burning our world, our livelihood, our everything you know, our cultural practises are still being done out on Murujuga, we still have the obligation and responsibility as custodians to look after the Ngurra.”
“This is Australia it doesn’t belong to one side and our government our state and federal government they need to really lift their game.”
The Campaign ‘Disrupt Burrup Hub’ targets Woodsides newest and biggest fossil fuel project, by asking for no more industry on the Burrup.
Desmond Blurton and Joana Partyka protest the destruction of Burrup rock art. Supplied by: Disrupt Burrup Hub
Raelene Cooper talked about the significance of the rock art at Burrup Hub and what it means.
“It's about our dreaming, it's about our ancestors, our history, our people, and the fight that they fought for many years. Many years they've lived here in solidarity tribes between tribes you know it was an abundance of food an abundance of water, and abundance of everything.”
“A 6-metre-tall kangaroo bouncing around on the planet, are ancient animals that were roaming this area and they’re documented in this rock art. The northern quoll… they are an endangered species and yet they are all over our rock art, so many animals that are no longer here.”
“The history, that's our photographs that’s our artwork, this documented archive history. So not only that, they hold the songlines the thalus, they hold the songlines and storylines to other areas of this continent right across to the other side of Australia.”
“So, this is the importance to us you know, and to know that our ancestors roamed this country, and they left us the stories, now that's something to withhold.”
Joana Partyka spray paints the Woodside Energy’s logo on the iconic Australian painting ‘Down on his Luck’. Supplied by: Disrupt Burrup Hub.
Direct descendants of the of Frederick McCubbin, the ‘Down on his Luck’ artwork showed support for the Disrupt Burrup Hub protest.
“Australia has a rich history of environmental and political art, and this clever and well considered gesture adds to that history. This, in stark contrast to Woodside’s best efforts to impact and potentially erase this country’s rich and ancient cultural history and landscape,” said Margot Edwards, descendant of artist.
Woodside made comment that “Peer-reviewed research has not identified any impacts on Murujuga rock art from industrial emissions associated with liquefied natural gas production.”
Professor Benjamin Smith, Chair of World Rock Art at UWA commented about his recent research that shows direct damage to Murujuga rock art from emissions at the Burrup Hub.
"The statement by Woodside that no peer-reviewed research has shown that emissions from LNG production is damaging Murujuga rock art is willfully misleading,” he said.
“It has been shown without any doubt that nitrogen oxide pollution, combined with local rain and dew, is causing serious damage to Murujuga rock art. Woodside is the largest nitrogen oxide emitter by far at Murujuga.”