Location - Let all men know that this is holy ground

In this weeks Contemporary class we discussed ideas surrounding location driven photography.  Of the artists we discussed the work of Candida Höfer  and Francis Alÿs particularly struck a chord with me.  Their work got me thinking about shared experiences of spaces and the notion of 'culturally significant' space.  It occurred that ideas of cultural, political and historic significance are  almost entirely subjective.  Something which may be considered of great significance to some may be overlooked by others.  

Bearing this in mind I decided to investigate areas considered culturally significant to Melbourne's indigenous people.  My aim was to discover what these places had become and what acknowledgement if any was given to the areas place in local indigenous culture.  The Kings Domain came up in my research as a particularly pertinent example of the question of cultural hierarchy.  In 1985 the skeletal remains of 38 indigenous Australians were buried at the Kings Domain after being returned from the Melbourne Museum where they had previously been exhibited.  A memorial was established at the site and this burial undertaken as a tribute to all Victorian Aboriginals.  Kings Domain is also home to the Government House,  Myer music bowl, several monuments to former Kings and Queens and most notably Melbourne's Shrine of Remembrance.