The Land Around Us

Artist David Cianci created The Land Around Us here he describes his work.

Transcript

00:00The Hunter Valley breathes in rhythm with the land.

00:16Warm humid air drapes the hills, while the rangers gather clouds, drawing in the cool

00:21sigh of the sea.

00:23The low-hanging mist settles, feeding the earth, where life rises lush and unrestrained.

00:31This place was once an ancient seabed, shaped by time and transformation.

00:37Water receded, stone emerged, and over millions of years, screens swept across the valley.

00:43For over 30,000 years, the Wannaroa people have walked these lands.

00:48People of the hills and plains, moving with the rivers, knowing the earth's stories.

00:53Today, indigenous and non-indigenous communities walk together, woven into the landscape, custodians

00:59of its future.

01:01Encircled by the Great Dividing Range, the valley is cradled by vast national parks.

01:07Yango, Barrington, Wollemi, lands of ancient rock and deep-rooted forests, a wilderness

01:14shaped by fire, rain, and time.

01:18Here, life is an intricate web, each branch, river, and ridge connected.

01:25The land sustains us, as we in turn must sustain it.

01:29It is a delicate balance, one that asks for care, respect, and responsibility.

01:36Light at the points of intersection, energy where forms converge, a symbol of growth,

01:42renewal, and our shared place within the landscape.

01:47The land around us stands at the threshold of Singleton, a gateway to the valley, a marker

01:53of place.

01:54For those who call this land home, it is a quiet reminder of the beauty that surrounds

01:59them.

02:00For those passing through, it is an invitation to stop, to look, to reflect.