THE VOICE OF THE MARIBYRNONG
Located on the land of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation, the Maribyrnong River has been impacted by the violent industrial practices of colonial settlers. Following colonial settlement, the Maribyrnong River was used as both a transport route and a drain for waste products discarded from factories. Bluestone was extracted from quarries surrounding the river, and used to construct buildings such as gunpowder magazines that advanced colonial violence. Early photographs of the Maribyrnong River reflect imperial perspectives, framing it as either an idyllic pastoral landscape or as a resource for industrial growth.
The Voice of the Maribyrnong uses videography, photography and sound to interrogate colonial histories of the Maribyrnong River and its tributaries, reframing the river as a living entity rather than a resource for industrial advancement. Using methods that aim to ‘make with’ the Maribyrnong River such as underwater videography through which the river guides the camera’s motion, Elijah seeks to emphasise the river’s agency and explore the potential for collaboration with water bodies. Punctuated by archival and contemporary photographs, the work aims to reveal the settler-colonial history of Maribyrnong River while drawing attention to the violent imperial history of landscape photography.
The Voice of the Maribyrnong was created on the unceded lands of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Peoples of the Kulin Nation. Elijah pays his respects to Elders past and present. Always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
Archival images courtesy of Melbourne’s Living Museum of the West unless specified.
Elijah Cristiano is a multidisciplinary artist living and creating on Wurundjeri Country in Naarm/Melbourne. Spanning photography, videography and sound, Elijah’s site-responsive practice engages with notions of place, positionality, and relationships between humans and environments. Elijah studied the Master of Photography degree at RMIT University and has had a solo exhibition at the RMIT University IDEA Gallery in 2025. He recently exhibited work at the Pingyao International Festival of Photography, and has been involved in multiple group shows in Naarm/Melbourne and Ballarat.
https://www.elijahcristiano.com/
https://www.instagram.com/elijohnphotography/