Jewellery for Birrarung - crafted by artist Deb Fisher from over 3000 lost tennis balls dyed and etched by the river, its rhythmic movements informed by the changing tides.

Birrarung has a complex colonial history of use, abuse, and modification. Although much has changed since the illegal squatter camp was established on the riverbanks in 1835, colonisation continues. As recently as 1923 Birrarung was classified as a main drain by Melbourne’s Metropolitan Board of Works, given a number and treated as such.

The river still suffers.

This work River Bloom explores the ongoing human disregard and indifference to the river through the creation of an artwork made from over 3000 tennis balls collected from the river over the last year. Resembling giant river pearls these tennis balls have been graded and strung together for Birrarung to wear. The project aims to inspire change by creating awareness of the impacts of pollution through Naarm’s stormwater drain network.

Like an algae bloom, the tennis balls are toxic; a single use human manufactured and discarded object, so different to the glorious yellow blossom that adorns Birrarung’s edges and reaches when the wattle blooms.

River Bloom can be found in four different locations along the Birrarung during Riverfest.

River Bloom will be on display from 8am to 4pm. The artist talk by Deb will be on the banks of the Birrarung at 12.30pm.

Accessibility: This event is accessible for wheelchairs and prams.

Sunday 1 Sept: Junction of Gardiners Creek and Birrarung, below Gardiners creek bridge. Yarra Boulevard, Burnley/ Hawthorn. View from Gardiners Creek Bridge (over Birrarung). Google Maps

Sunday 8 Sept: Church St bridge (downstream side), South Yarra. Google Maps

Saturday 14 Sept: Off Alexandra Ave adjacent the café Kanteen, Toorak. View from main Yarra trail on Alexandra Ave next to Como landing, opposite Herring Island. Google Maps

Saturday 21 Sept: Wallen Road Bridge (Swan street), Richmond/Hawthorn. View from Wallen Rd bridge or Wurundjeri garden (Hawthorn side) or Yarra Boulevard (Richmond side). Google Maps

About Deb Fisher

Deb is currently undertaking a practice led PhD in Art (gold and silversmithing) at RMIT University. She has returned to Naarm after thirty years practicing architecture in Alice Springs and Cairns, shifting creative focus to a smaller scale, with works constructed on the body rather than constructed for the body. Her time away opened her eyes to the significance of landscape, the consequences of colonization on First Nations peoples and the silences embedded in her education. Her current practice is focused on Birrarung as a place of her own connection and investigates how materials can hold memories of human disregard. Follow Deb on Instagram.

About Riverfest

This event is part of the 2024 Birrarung Riverfest. Celebrate our river at one of 30+ events being hosted over three weeks from 1- 22 September. Whether you enjoy riverside walks, cleanups or paddling adventures, there's something for everyone at Riverfest. Riverfest is presented by the Yarra Riverkeeper Association. Check out the full Riverfest program here.

Acknowledgement of Country

The Yarra Riverkeeper Association acknowledges that the lands and waterways of the Yarra, Birrarung catchment, are the unceded territories of the Wurundjeri Woi-Wurrung and Bunurong peoples. We pay respect to Traditional Owners, who have, and continue, to care for Country. We acknowledge that the river now called Yarra has always been known as the Birrarung by its custodians.

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