About the Artist
Tammy Gilson is a Wadawurrung woman, Traditional Weaver and Blak Designer, living on Wadawurrung Country. Tammy’s award-winning practice, passion and dedication for weaving and working as a cultural fire practitioner deeply enrich her work, grounding it in a deep connection and relationships to Country. This holistic approach not only shapes her work but also serves to empower, inspire, and embody Cultural resilience. Through her artistry, Tammy bridges traditional knowledge and contemporary expression, creating a powerful narrative that celebrates and sustains Wadawurrung culture.

About the Artwork
The bal-yep/mistletoe as I’m referring to the forest in the sky, grown by the mistletoe bird from pooping out a sticky seed high in the canopy, this is also known as snotty gobbles. The seed germinates into a mini forest creating habitat for birds, koalas, possums, butterflies and insects but also the seed is a sweet food and important medicine. Bal-yep rely on a host tree and often seen as a semi parasitic threat that harms the tree, but in actual fact holds many uses.

Whilst out on Country earlier this year doing cultural fire mapping, I was presented with a branch and was fascinated by the knowledge of mistletoe and decided to create this piece and explore the purpose of bal-yep. I acknowledge the importance of the plant and mistletoe bird hold for Culture and the mistletoe bird reminds me of fire with the red feathers. The Wadawurrung word bal-yep refers to the process of eating mistletoe seeds, bal to pound and yep to eat.