babanh-u laangi-yuyuk-a (Mother of Pearl): Edwina Green
28 May 2026 - 28 May 2046
Curator:
Artist: Edwina Green
Artists:
Location: Maribyrnong River Trail, Moonee Ponds
Trawlwoolway multidisciplinary artist Edwina Green invites you to explore, imagine, and play on her sculpture, babanh-u laangu-yuyuk-a, a Woi-Wurrung language name meaning 'Mother of Pearl'.
Inspired by the history and ongoing health of land and waterways, the work echoes the shifting contours and underwater ecosystems of the adjacent Maribyrnong River, honouring this much-loved waterway and the memory of the 2022 Maribyrnong flood, which deeply affected local residents, traders, and the wider community. While the sculpture serves as a memorial to that event, it invites babies, children, and families to experience the work through touch and play, offering tactile engagement and reflection to the next generation. Its textured surface evokes the layered pattern of an oyster shell — a symbol of sustenance, strength, and deep time, significant to coastal and saltwater mobs, carrying the history of Country within its shell.
While the work holds significance for the artist's Trawlwoolway mob, for Wurundjeri Elders Aunty Julieanne and Aunty Gail it recalls the mussels once found in the Maribyrnong River, honouring the knowledge held within Wurundjeri Country.
As a playable public artwork, the sculpture reflects the seasonal rhythms and gatherings that have taken place along the river's edge, past and into the future.
Commissioned by Moonee Valley City Council in partnership with Agency Projects. It was generously funded by the State of Victoria through Emergency Recovery Victoria’s Community Recovery Hubs grant program.
Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung Cultural Heritage Aboriginal Corporation with the support of Aunty Gail Smith provided the Woi-Wurrung language name for the sculpture.
This project was co-managed by ArtsEleven and fabricated by Lump Studio. Videography by Fancy Films.
