A new exhibition at the School of Art responds to the Bundian Way, an ancient shared history pathway between the Kosciuszko high country and the New South Wales far south coast. It coincides with the launch of the new book by naturalist John Blay, On Track: Searching out the Bundian Way.

The exhibition includes work by 23 students who traveled to parts of the Bundian Way during field trips in 2015 as part of the School of Art Environment studio Balawan Elective.

One of the key aims of the project is to create a cultural exchange, where two Aboriginal artists - Darren Mongta and Lee Cruse - who hosted ANU students in their country, were welcomed to the School of Art as visiting artists.

“The thing that makes this project unique is that previously we’ve always gone into regional areas and responded to issues there, but we really wanted this to be a reciprocal one where we would go on country, learn and share, and then invite them back to do residencies here”, Amanda Stuart, from the Environment studio, explains.

“It’s just mind-blowing for the students who have been hungry for an opportunity like this to actually experience first-hand visiting country, being hosted and guided by people with profound knowledge, and Aboriginal Elders and Aboriginal artists.”

Naturalist, walker and writer John Blay was influential in making the project happen, and has just launched his book about the Aboriginal people, natural history and spirituality of the walk.

“I first walked it in 2002 and I’ve walked it many times since then”, Blay says. "My favourite bits are the wildest bits".

“Bundian Way is a walking track, a shared history track, but it’s also a track for many other purposes. It’s recognising the Aboriginal people and Aboriginal landscapes but it’s meant to inspire people, and we want to inspire people to see the whole vision of Aboriginal Australia that it traverses. It’s been fantastic to see what the people are doing in their work.”

The exhibition includes the work of Miriam Slater, Olivia Willems, Darren Mongta, Juliet Berry, Sally Mumford, Rose Townsend, Ned Bott, Belle Parker, Kelda Morris, Lee Cruse, Greg Sorenson, Eli Vrbova, Alex Hobba, Claire Williams, Imogen Wall, Clare Solomon, Joanna Harris-MacNeil, Kristin Totoritis, Katy Penman, Richilde Flavell, Ceilidh Dalton, Shevan Gunesekera, Louis Grant, John Reid, Roseanna Parkes, and AAH – HAA (Amanda Stuart, Heike Qualitz and Amelia Zaraftis).

Beyond Balawan: aesthetic responses to the Bundian Way will be showing in Photospace Gallery, ANU School of Art, from 2¬-11 September.