A drop of peace by Lili Romero

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-03 23:27:44 UTC

I acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we gather, the Wurunjderi people of the Kulin Nation. We recognise their continued connection to the land and waters of this beautiful place, thank them for protecting this coastline and its ecosystems since time immemorial. And pay my respect to Elders and Ancestors, and any First Nations people here today.”

ARTEFACT- WATERFALL

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 00:03:54 UTC

Living in the city has always been surrounded by noise, rush and feeling the time is like a blink in the eyes. On the weekends, I usually pass in front of this waterfall next to the botanical gardens, capturing my hears with the unique and noisy sound of the water coming down, Today I decided to have a closer look at this majestic cascade that with only listening takes me to another world where the rush and time does not exist and where the wind and birds chirping overshadows the city noise.

CREATIVE RESPONSE

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 00:05:30 UTC

ANALYTICAL RESPONSE

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 01:01:47 UTC

TIME & WATER

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 01:03:17 UTC

Without water, we would not exist, and the Earth would be Inhabitat, demonstrating the importance of floods in humanity and living things. But how much water exists on, in, and above our planet? About 71 per cent of the Earth's surface is water-covered, and the seas hold approximately 96.5 per cent of all Earth's water. ( Water science school 2009). Humans and non-Humans need water to survive and contribute to the world. For humans, water is fundamental for development. Just look on a map where the big cities in the world are located near bodies of water. An example is Melbourne, where the Yarra river flows from the Yarra Valley and passes through Melbourne's City and the waterholes surrounding it.

Playing the parallaxis on my way to the waterfall, I stopped at the bridge on flinders street to appreciate the river's flow and how the water moved to the river mouth until it arrived in the oceans or the power of the water making that noisy and attractive sound coming down the waterfall.
I have a special connection with water because I believe that humans and water are constantly in movement, no matter the time or situation we are having. So even when a rock or problem gets us stuck, time will make us move.

"just one drop"

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 01:10:40 UTC

Sunrise in " HEAVEN"(?)

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:05:19 UTC

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:15:03 UTC

While standing in this place, I remember session three about the aboriginal concept of listening and moving and the reading walking with place, storying reconciliation pedagogies in Early Childhood Education where Catherine Hamm and Mirian- Rose show us the connection and the importance of the land for aboriginal people, Watts, (2013) argues that land is essential in the lives of Indigenous people and that they are part of the land. This relationship with the land requires communication, care, and interaction with the nonhumans who also make up the land. Mirian-Rose, in the video of Darirri, said
" In our Aboriginal way, we learnt to listen from our earliest days. We could not live good and useful lives unless we listened. This was the normal way to learn - not by asking questions. We learnt by watching and listening, waiting and then acting."

Both of these authors embed the connection with the land and the importance of listening to it. I wanted to experience Dadirri, so I found a seat and closed my eyes. I listened carefully to the water and started filling in on my toes slowly; the water was coming up until my head, and a sense of peace completed my body, forgetting my responsibilities and feeling calm by the water and listening to the wind and feeling the gentle touch of some leaves on my head, feeling my body stocking on the land and feeling part of it.

References

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:26:09 UTC

Dadirri 2017, Mary Rose Foundation, viewed 4th June 2022, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tow2tR_ezL8>.

Hamm, C 2015, ‘Walking with place: storying reconciliation pedagogies in early childhood education’, Canadian Children, vol. 40, no. 2, Canadian Association for Young Children, viewed <https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=117176256&site=eds-live&authtype=shib&custid=s1145751>.

Ungunmerr-Baumann, MR 2002, Dadirri: inner deep listening and quiet still awareness, Emmaus Productions, pp. 1–4

Watts, V. (2013). Indigenous place-thought and agency amongst humans and non humans (First Woman and Sky Woman go on a European world tour!). Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, 2(1), 20–34.

BREATH IN & OUT.. COLD WEATHER

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:28:56 UTC

In session four, we learnt about body control and awareness and the importance to have the management of our movement. On this particular morning, I was by myself, alone, in this majestic place, listening to the water running down the rocks. Then I decided to take deep breaths, and when I exhaled, steam came out of my mouth because of the cold and sunny morning. So I took this moment to exhale all my evil thoughts giving the moisture a sense of detoxing my body and filling in with peace that this place transmitted to me.

SUNLIGHT COMING FROM THE TREES

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:33:49 UTC

Here I would like to explain what this photo meant for me during my experience I was standing looking at the waterfall when I felt my back warmer. Then, turning around, I saw the sunlight coming through the trees, and I saw the reflection of the big and tall trees on the water, but they were the opposite; tiny. That reminds me of when I was in high school, and we had theatre; we used to practice our facial expressions using a mirror and to depend on where we stood, we could see ourselves bigger or smaller. The constant movement of the water changed the way I perceived the trees, and as a viewer, I felt the different emotions from different angles.

THE BALANCE BETWEEN NOISE & BEAUTY

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 02:41:53 UTC

I felt light and at peace and stepped out of this secret garden when I came back home. After that, I started coming back regularly. I started listening to the cars in this noisy town, and people began to appear. Still, in front of me, I saw this beautiful tree and, behind it, the city. Imagine that only a few minutes away, I found this place where I can connect to nature as an escape from this world for a few hours blows my mind. Standing in front of this tree, I understood how living and non-living things complement each other and how both are connected to our past and the people who care for this land before us.

JUST ONE BRIDGE TO PARADISE

lilitaromero1 — 2022-06-04 07:37:42 UTC

I put " Just one bridge to paradise" in my artwork. I got inspired by the short distance between the city and the botanical garden with its surroundings; you need to cross the bridge to submerge yourself to connect with the place and the peace and harmony that the site produces take me out of breath. I drew an ear and water coming out because when I was there, my heart and body went full of the water that the only sound I was an appetite to hear was the cascade—the power of listening. The background colours are inspired by the colours of the leaves I found on the floor.