Kungarakun graphic designer and artist Toby Bishop has paid homage to Indigenous navigation and land management practices on Gadigal country (Sydney) through his design Ancient Tracks.
Ancient Tracks has been printed on fabric and wrapped around scaffolding on one of the busiest streets in Sydney's CBD.
Bishop said he created Ancient Tracks for an art competition set out by the city of Sydney in 2021.
"Within the arts brief there was a line that I connected with, it said 'It is thought that some of Sydney's main thoroughfares, such as George Street, Oxford Street and King Street in Newtown, followed Aboriginal tracks that had served as trading routes between farmed grasslands or bountiful fishing areas'," he said.
"This part of the brief connected with me straight away, I wanted to convey the ancient story that Sydney's streets are on, underneath all the concrete there is Country.
"I wanted to remind people of the land they are on in a positive way, the world has changed since the old ways, but the story is still there and Aboriginal people are still here."
The 25-year-old said he has transitioned his thinking into not only graphic design, but in more of a 3D public art space.
He said the way an art space can tell a story and impact the experience of someone's journey could immerse viewers and can spark conversations to help tell the country's Indigenous narrative.
Although he has officially been designing since he left school, Bishop said he had always been a creative thinker which he got from his nana (wetji).
"Nana persevered over 30 years to restore and revive our language to us, she was an inspiring artist and linguist," he said.
"Her commitment was motivated by a promise to her mother and my great wetji - Margaret Edwards (McGuinness) to record the language of our country."
Bishop said he has been using his wetjis work as a guide and inspiration, exploring the intricate connections to country and how those stories can be told.
Bishop's traditional name is Yukupin, which was given to him by his wetji.
