The beauty of Noongar placenames is that each one tells you something about the significance of that place to Noongar life and culture. 

Consequently every Place Names project is about more than simply reviving the names of places. These projects reveal the traditions of this Country, traditions that existed for thousands of years before it was colonised.

In the case of Place Names Bayswater this process has been particularly fruitful and the artworks that have been created during the project’s cultural mapping workshops will take viewers on an evocative journey back in time to learn about Noongar life in Birralyn (Bayswater) before colonisation.

While the cultural mapping workshops were focused on the creation of a large-scale hand-made map of the Birralyn area, depicting the locations of the decoded placenames, the stories shared by Elders and Traditional Owners during the Place Names Bayswater project have also been recorded in writing, by writer and playwright Bruce Denny, in a story titled Baarlunging Birralyn Maarkulin – Tracking Bayswater Journey. Structured around the five decoded placenames this evocative, time-travelling piece of writing not only transports the reader into the world of Noongar culture, but has underpinned the map-making process. 

Attended by Elders, Traditional Owners and community members connected to the Birralyn area and its surrounds, the cultural mapping workshops took place at The Rise in Maylands. Led by creative producer Zali Morgan and supported by Traditional Owner and Noongar artist Geri Hayden, the group began by practising eco-dyeing silk, using materials found locally. A large collaboratively dyed piece of fabric then became the backdrop for the map.

Zali then introduced the group to the art of cyanotype printing, a process that uses iron compounds and sunlight exposure to create blue images. The group practised first on paper, then on calico before creating the final large collaborative cyanotype representing the Derbal Yerrigan’s (Swan River’s) pathway through the Birralyn/Bayswater area. 

The group then designed iconography for linocut printing. These designs were informed by both the decoded placenames and the flora and fauna described by Elders and Traditional Owners in the stories recorded by Bruce.

Zali guided the group on how to turn the icons into drawings, then how to sketch these onto lino. Next, each icon was handcarved from the lino to create a stamp. The lino stamp was first worked on paper and then, as confidence grew, the final stamps were printed directly onto the map. 

The resulting map is visually striking, the cyanotype blue of the river cutting a dramatic swathe across the canvas. As the viewer moves closer, the map reveals the more intricate details used to depict all the different icons associated with the Birralyn area.

We’re so excited to partner with the City of Bayswater and the community to share these beautiful creative works with you in an exhibition at The Rise in Bayswater.

Join us for the launch of Birralyn Kaartadjin | Bayswater Knowledge:

🗓️️ Date: Wednesday 16 April 2025
⏰ Time: 5–7.30pm
📍 Venue: The RISE, 28 Eighth Avenue, Maylands WA 6051
🎟️ RSVP essential
🥤 A light supper and refreshments provided

After the launch on 16 April, Birralyn Kaartadjin | Bayswater Knowledge will continue at The RISE until Sunday 11 May 2025.