{"id":32747,"date":"2025-05-20T02:26:03","date_gmt":"2025-05-20T02:26:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/?p=32747"},"modified":"2025-05-20T02:26:03","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T02:26:03","slug":"celebrating-new-sydney-fish-markets-rich-social-and-cultural-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/celebrating-new-sydney-fish-markets-rich-social-and-cultural-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating new Sydney Fish Market\u2019s rich social and cultural history"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Blackwattle Bay\u2019s First Nations and maritime histories will be honoured through a series of creative installations within the precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Visitors to the new Sydney Fish Market will be able to learn about the history of the area through five permanent installations that celebrate the site as a community gathering place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first three sculptures revealed today,&nbsp;<em>Saltwater People Stories<\/em>, pay respect to the continued presence of local Aboriginal people and their ancestral fishing traditions in Blackwattle Bay and the surrounding area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Three Aboriginal Australian artists have designed works which reference traditional cultural practices of the Aboriginal nations and communities connected to the new Sydney Fish Market site including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018The Nawi\u2019 \u2013 a traditional&nbsp;<em>nawi&nbsp;<\/em>(fishing canoe) by Bidjigal elder&nbsp;<strong>Uncle Steven Russell<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018Birrang Narrami (Star Net)\u2019 \u2013 a traditional woven fishing net by Wiradjuri, Yuin and Gadigal multi-disciplinary artist and master weaver&nbsp;<strong>Nadeena Dixon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2018The Call of Ngura (Country)\u2019 \u2013 with eel-like forms representing the Dreamtime journey of the great Creator Gurangady, by Buruberong and Wumali (Dharug) creative&nbsp;<strong>Leanne Tobin<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The sculptures, cast in bronze at the North Head Foundry in Manly, will be installed on the eastern and western promenades of the new Sydney Fish Market later this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Two further installations will sit on the eastern promenade \u2013 an interactive water play area for families, and an installation paying homage to the site\u2019s industrial history as a working harbour.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Placemaking NSW will also host a curated arts and cultural program featuring dance and music. This will take place in the public domain throughout 2026 featuring local artists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information about the new Sydney Fish Market project, visit:&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/newsydneyfishmarket.insw.com\/insw\/new-sydney-fish-market\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">new Sydney Fish Market<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Minister for Lands and Property Steve Kamper said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFor thousands of years, the Saltwater clans of the Sydney region have been traditional custodians of this land, with Blackwattle Bay serving as a vital site for fishing, swimming and gathering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese installations will honour ancestral fishing traditions and share the stories of the Saltwater People with the millions of visitors anticipated at the new Sydney Fish Market.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cVisitors can look forward to not only viewing the stunning architecture but learning about the site\u2019s cultural significance through these installations \u2013 and, of course, savouring the freshest seafood in NSW.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Infrastructure NSW Head of Projects Bruno Zinghini said:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese Saltwater People Stories installations led by Aboriginal curator Tess Allas will enrich the public domain around the new Sydney Fish Market, providing both local and international visitors with a glimpse into our First Nations heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cForming part of the urban renewal of the Blackwattle Bay precinct, commissions like these will ensure the revitalised waterfront destination will deliver a lasting cultural legacy for Sydney, celebrating history through creative expression, infusing the area with vibrancy and a distinct sense of place.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>First Nations Contemporary Artist, Leanne Tobin said:&nbsp;<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAs a First Nations artist, I\u2019m excited to see our culture represented and visibly acknowledged as part of the new Sydney Fish Market. &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis project is more than a world-class building and fish market. It is an opportunity for us to educate and inform visitors here by weaving our stories and culture into the precinct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThese installations allow us a way to share our cultural stories and highlight our deep and ancient connection to this land while also creating a shared experience that reflects our heritage for all to enjoy.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Blackwattle Bay\u2019s First Nations and maritime histories will be honoured through a series of creative installations within the precinct. Visitors to the new Sydney Fish Market will be able to learn about the history of the area through five permanent installations that celebrate the site as a community gathering place. The first three sculptures revealed &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/2025\/05\/20\/celebrating-new-sydney-fish-markets-rich-social-and-cultural-history\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Celebrating new Sydney Fish Market\u2019s rich social and cultural history&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nswnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32747","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32747"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32747\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":32748,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32747\/revisions\/32748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.16news.com.au\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}