Mooramong Residency: Roberta Rich

I will further investigate the Waddawurrung lands that Mooramong and the aristocratic former celebrity home sits upon. I am interested in the site the residency will take place within, the curios and colonial art it houses. A sustained exploration of language and identity, that is heavily research-based, my practice draws greatly from personal, colonial and Bla(c)k histories. Themes threading this project are the centering of BIPOC narratives in the context of the Mooramong site and how this will influence the development of the project while on residency.

My time spent on Wathaurong country, alongside artists Manisha Anjali and Anna May Kirk, was a great opportunity for reflection, networking and re-charging towards new ideas and future projects.

Retreating in a cottage adjacent to the mansion upon four thousand acres with its own eclectic histories, it gave me plenty of time to get to know Manisha and Anna and their practices, having rich discussions about the issues artists experience, approaches to practice and institutional critique.

On sunny days we would walk across the acres of flat plains, cleared land of paddocks full of hundreds of sheep, while passing by an abundance of wildlife. While exploring eagles constantly soared above us, kangaroos watched from afar or passed through, weary of our presence, and the cockatoos squawking loudly making their presence known to us.

While on site I learned of Mooramong histories as a site of bird sanctuaries, animal welfare ventures, Clare and ‘Scobies’ home of matinées (probably soirée’s too), their collection of artworks and art deco furniture with impressive family heirlooms and collection of rare books. I observed in awe of their collected wealth and navigated through the various rooms, those inhabited by the Mackninnons’ and those by their domestic workers. Hanging on the walls in a room where ‘Scobie’ displayed his extensive collection of books, rowing oars, and a fireplace, perhaps a shared recreational lounge reading room, (as there was a separate bar lounge room and another lounge piano room) was the presence of ‘Scobies’ Scottish ancestry through the display of Scottish swords and an extremely detailed genealogy of the Mackinnon family.

I could not help but think about my own research and genealogy, and our vast differences - an ongoing project for me - where my family genealogy I can only trace so far, as a result of Dutch imperialism and slavery in ‘The Cape’. Similar to southern Africa and many other parts of the globe, domestic workers are the backbone of their economies. I thought about the backbone of this estate with many questions going through my mind while on this residency – there was an extensive kitchen and separate living quarters for the domestic workers, cooks, butlers and cleaners of the estate. Was it one person? Who were they? How many workers were there? What are their stories? Did they identify as First Nations? What is the First Nations history of this site?

During my stay, I was privileged to be able to travel to Djabwurrung country and visit an important Aboriginal meeting place called Lake Buloke (co-opted by settlers to be now known as Lake Bolac) located not far from Mooramong. It has been recorded by Scottish activist James Dawson in western literature that ‘Lake Buloke is the most celebrated place in the Western District for the fine quality and abundance of its eels, and, when the Autumn rains induce these fish to leave the lake and to go down the river to the sea, [people] gather[ing] therefrom great distances.’ The annual Lake Bolac Eel Festival celebrates Lake Buloke as a sacred gathering place that continues to share, reflect and celebrate Aboriginal culture.

I decided amongst all the questions and absences of narratives I wanted to learn more about running through my mind, to humour myself as a form of ‘assuage’ and play the role of “Mansion owner and dweller” beginning a photography project called #arentwerich. Extremely satirical, it was highly entertaining and a lighter approach to creative development among the (often) emotionally laborious nature that comes with my other projects that are almost always personal. It was an interesting process to fabricate that this was “my mansion”, though at times forgetting in my performance and enactment, no you’re not positioned “working the bar”; you are behind the bar, “waiting for your drink”.

Roberta Rich, 2020.