Art / Mangroves – Tales from the Tide. At Questacon, until November. Reviewed by ROB KENNEDY.

Questacon’s new science-art collaboration stages stunning textile works from Darwin-based textile artists that celebrate the beauty and importance of mangroves.

In this exhibition, visitors can wander between columns of denim patchwork quilts, beautifully decorated with mangrove plants and creatures, getting up close to the wildlife that calls these mangroves home.

The Mangrove Artists Collective, comprising artists Jasmine Jan, Barbara Williams, and Melanie Tribe, was inspired by the dynamic mangrove ecosystems around Darwin to create the textile artworks in this exhibition.

The artworks, wrapped around four pillars, are a patchwork of visual, written, and earthy creations that tell stories of creatures and plant life and how they are not just connected to the mangroves; if not for them, this thriving eco-culture might not exist.

Child-like furry creatures, sewn leaves, crafted plants, rocks, and seeds scattered around and under the four pillars attract youngsters through bright, colourful designs. Perhaps these pillars refer to the tale of how four pillars represent the stability of life on Earth.

Above this space, a huge moon shines down on the creatures that inhabit the mangroves. However, the life and activities of wildlife can be seen in the multiple video projections.

Birds, fish, crabs, and so much other intimate wildlife come and go with the rising and falling tides, changing the environment into an enchanting place. It’s a tangled place of roots, trees, and leaves in a unique and fragile world.

It’s a place where indigenous people have been living and foraging for thousands of years. Here you can find pippies, mangrove worms, and shelled creatures the locals call Long Bums, which they eat raw or cooked. As a form of sustenance, these have helped keep First Nations people alive for thousands of years. The mangroves also provide shelter, food, medicines, and a place of kinship.

This exhibition shows that these top-end mangroves are truly unique. They are a flooded forest of plants and wildlife where, every 12 hours, the mangroves change colour, shape and dynamic. They are full of insects and birdsong, and where a whole new range of animals come in and out on the tide.