Aidan Hartshorn is a Walgalu man from the Ngurmal Nation, situated in the foothills of the Snowy Mountains region of New South Wales. Aidan is an emerging artist interested in architecture and design. This work titled 'They #3' is a digital image of churning water from the bottom of the Blowering Dam wall and nearby streams that feed into the Snowy Hydro Dam system. The snowy Hydro project was one of Australia's largest post war migrant work schemes, but in the 20th century it was another significant over writing of Aboriginal land in NSW. Aiden in his current research has said 'If I want to visit my land in the mountains I have to get some scuba equipment because of the Snowy Hydro project buried my country underwater!"
The Image is printed onto brushed aluminium composite board where the process of printing removes the colour white and allows for the aluminium to replace it, giving a glint or shine, resembling silver gelatine or daguerreotype photography used before the flooding of the valley for the Snowy Hydro Scheme in the 1960s. The panels, strategically sized for human interaction, employ a Rorschach (Butterflied) style, creating an impression of sentinel or nonhuman ancestral beings within the water. Drawing from Wiradjuri beliefs, water, or Bila, is considered an ancestor, akin to non-human and human counterparts. The artwork serves as a conduit for the water's narrative, bringing the ancestor into the gallery space to share its story. The diamond shape in the artwork pays homage to Hartshorn's Wiradjuri lineage, reflecting a recurring motif in various practices. Diamonds not only served as a pattern but were also integral to southeast broad shields used in ceremonies and conflicts, adding a layer of ancestral protection to the artwork. The overarching theme of the work is to safeguard the specific Country that has borne witness to numerous atrocities over the years. Rather than attempting to impede ongoing processes ingrained in daily life, the focus is on elevating the significance of Walgalu and Wiradjuri histories and presence, fostering equitable recognition and inclusion in future discussions.
The Snowy Mountains Scheme, alternatively known as Snowy Hydro or the Snowy scheme, stands as a monumental hydroelectricity and irrigation complex in southeast Australia, straddling the border of New South Wales and Victoria. Comprising sixteen major dams, nine power stations, two pumping stations, and an extensive network of tunnels, pipelines, and aqueducts, the scheme, initiated in 1949 and completed in 1974, represents the largest engineering endeavor in Australia.
