By Tyler Wright
Olinda-based artist Emma Jennings has taken out the people’s choice award in the Burrinja Climate Change Biennale for her piece ‘Future Firefighters,’ recognising the work of a local family of CFA members, as the exhibition approaches it end.
Jennings decided to paint Upwey Fire Brigade junior CFA volunteers Aiden and Alexis Rhodes as a way to acknowledge the sacrifices made by families who serve the community.
“I think it’s really remarkable. It’s a whole family sacrifice, because there’s always somebody at home waiting,” Jennings said.
“I wanted to tell that story; there’s the next generations of volunteers already committed to serving and supporting our community.”
A long serving member of the brigade, Aiden and Alexis’ dad Liam was part of the strike team to Mallacoota in the 2019/2020 fires and worked alongside other emergency services after the 2021 storm event in the Dandenong Ranges.
When Jennings visited the siblings in the process of creating the work, photographing the pair holding items including their dad’s helmet, a fire hose and their uniforms, she got an overwhelming sense of how proud the pair were of their dad.
“I was aware that there’s the people who are off doing the hard work, but then there are the people at home who are waiting for them to safely return, and it’s a very selfless thing to let their loved ones go and perform these incredibly brave acts to support our communities all around Australia and the world,” she said.
“This is happening everywhere and more often now because of the increase of climate change natural disasters.”
Jennings’ finished work features Alexis and Aiden standing in a forest; which she said could represent the June 2021 storms, but could also signify floods or fire.
“It’s a really important local issue for us here in this community, especially [16 February] being the anniversary of the Ash Wednesday bushfires and just recently the Black Saturday fires anniversary as well, we’re impacted by these natural disasters all year round now.”
She said she was “thrilled” to receive the people’s choice award in the Burrinja Climate Change Biennale.
“The painting is about the people and it’s about honouring the volunteers who serve our community, and to have the people choose it is really meaningful.”
With funding from Yarra Ranges Council, Jennings is also creating a series of portraits of people impacted by the June 2021 storm event.
David Ferrier, the founder of Treasuring Our Trees, has helped source kiln dried slabs for Jennings to paint the portrait of local volunteers including Kalorama Mount Dandenong CFA Fire Brigade Captain Bill Robinson.
Other works at the exhibition included Rain White’s Loci Plantae showcase, featuring ink studies of ten local indigenous plants.
Ms White said the piece honours and highlights the beauty of the local flora and all we could lose, connecting people back to traditional owners of the land who had knowledge and use of all these plants.
“I wanted to create a piece that provided a solution, that overcomes a sense of
overwhelm people feel in the face of environmental issues, everyone can learn about plants
and feel empowered by planting one,” she said.
“It is a way we can care directly for our planet. You can create a habitat and cool your local area. Action creates momentum, a lot of people feel powerless and this piece presents something practical you can action.”
The piece of created in a partnership between the artist and the Southern Dandenongs Community Nursery at Birdlands Reserve in Belgrave Heights.
The Climate Change Biennial exhibition ends on Saturday 25 February with a Live on the Lawn mini music festival in The Park at Burrinja Cultural Centre, with an artist market and studios open from 12-4pm.
