Megan Cope

Megan Cope (b. 1982) is a Quandamooka artist who currently lives and works between Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Melbourne. She began her practice in painting and drawing, with a particular focus on mapping. Cope has used mapping as a tool for reframing place and landscape through an Aboriginal lens. In more recent years Cope has turned her hand to sculpture, installation, video and sound. Despite the varied material expressions of her work, her focus has remained steadfast in exploring the combination of place, history and power.

Cope uses art to challenge the narratives of colonisation, in particular the inherited attitudes and habits towards place that form contemporary Australian life. Her work not only reveals and resists historical processes of colonisation through the assertion of ongoing Aboriginal custodianship; it embarks on new and transformative ways of understanding place, landscape and Country. She says, “My work is inspired by the stories of my people and our Country, coastal North Stradbroke Island (Minjerribah), and the sense of connection we have to the landscape. When I’m there I feel like I am back to where I belong, I am welcome there. It is our place, it will always be our place and being there reminds me of who I am and where I am going.” [1]

[1]. “Artist: Megan Cope”, Defying Empire: 3rd National Indigenous Art Triennial, National Gallery of Australia, Canberra, 26 May – 10 September 2017.

installation view: 2020 Adelaide Biennial of Australian Art: Monster Theatres featuring Untitled (Death Song) by Megan Cope, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide; photo: Saul Steed.

Untitled (Death Song) is both an installation and a musical instrument. The objects of the instrument are repurposed relics from the mining industry, including oil drums, geological samples from the South Australian Drill Core Reference Library and augers – a device used to drill holes in the ground. Each item produces a unique sound and contributes to a musical score, written, recorded and performed by musician Isha. Oil drums act as amplifiers, the augers are tethered with violin strings, and hanging rocks provide weight and tone to each sound.

The musical score for Untitled (Death Song) (2020) takes its first note from the haunting cries of the yellow-eyed Bush Stone-curlew. The Bush Stone-curlew is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. They have long, thin legs, grey-brown plumage and are primarily nocturnal. Their ancestral habitats include grasslands, open woodland, mallee, mangroves and rainforest fringes. Due to increases in land clearing, habitat loss, and predation by feral cats and foxes, the Bush Stone-curlew is listed as an endangered species within New South Wales and Victoria. One of the most striking attributes of the Bush Stone-curlew is its distinctive call, a ghost-like “weer-lo” sound. Heard in chorus and crescendo with other Bush Stone-curlews, the eerie call is often mistaken for a crying baby or wailing woman. Although the Bush Stone-curlew is not endangered on Stradbroke Island, they are considered by Quandamooka people as a messenger and harbinger of death.

Cope is deeply interested in the sound of Country; if the land could sing, how might it sound? As Cope says, “Our ancestors –the birds, the wind, the trees – they are always telling us what’s happening. It is our job is to listen.” In a visually over-stimulated world, Cope considers sound as the last frontier of our emotional landscape. Sound, unlike other senses, is difficult to block out or ignore. Untitled (Death Song) invites you to sit and listen deeply and to heed the sounds of Country. In emulating the call of the Bush Stone-curlew, Untitled (Death Song) is a lament – a song of mourning. The threatened status of the bird not only registers radical environmental and ecological change as a result of mining and modern agricultural practices; it is a warning for the future.

Cope is a Quandamooka artist who currently lives and works between Minjerribah (North Stradbroke Island) and Melbourne. Find Minjerribah on a map.
What does it mean to care for Country? What are some things you do to take care of Country? Brainstorm some things you, your family and school community could do better to protect and preserve your environment.
Listento Cope’s installation. How do the different sounds make you feel? What do they remind you of? Cope is deeply interested in the sound of Country; if the land where you live could sing, how might it sound?
Solastagia is the term given to people who experience a feeling of homesickness when they don’t recognise the landscapes around them due to massive radical change – such as natural disasters and major environmental intervention (mining/dams). Think about a place that you love. Describe this place to someone who has never visited it before. What is special about this place? How might you feel if this place was changed suddenly and without approval?

The Bush Stone-curlew is a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Due to increases in land clearing, habitat loss, and predation by feral cats and foxes, the Bush Stone-curlew is listed as an endangered species within New South Wales and Victoria. Research animals which are listed as endangered or extinct in the area where you live. What has caused this? What can be done to reverse the damage or to prevent further species becoming endangered or extinct?
Investigate the different habitats where the Bush Stone-curlew can be found; grasslands, open woodland, mallee, mangroves and rainforest fringes. How do these environments differ?
Consider the area where you live, how much has it changed since European occupation? How has the use of our land changed over time? What impact has this had on the environment? TIP Begin by investigating mining and agricultural practices.
In 2019 Cope was commissioned as the first female Aboriginal Official War artist by the Australian War Memorial. Cope travelled to the Middle East where she recorded and interpreted Australia’s contribution to this international effort. Since returning Cope has become alarmed of our reliance on fossil fuel industries, which is essentially the reason Australia is deployed there. Investigate the use of renewable and non-renewable sources (fossil fuels) which are used to generate energy in Australia. What are the advantages and disadvantages of both sources of energy? Research wind, nuclear and solar solutions. Which of these alternatives would work best for the area you live in and why?

Cope is inspired by her connection to the landscape of Minjerribah. “When I’m there I feel like I am back where I belong, I am welcome there. It is our place, it will always be our place and being there reminds me of who I am and where I am going.” Think of a place where you feel most at home. What things make you feel connected to this place? Create a work of art about this place.
Collect a variety of maps (weather, street, topographical, Google Maps) of the area where you live and go to school. You may also like to collect maps of an area you visit often with your family or a place you would like to visit. Have these maps changed over time? Imagine it is 30 years from now. Create a new map of this place that captures your predicted changes.
Transform a found object so that it can make a unique sound. What action is required for the sound to be heard? Can you change the pitch or pace of this sound so that it is now a ‘warning sound’. In small groups record your sounds to create a collaborative composition. Consider how one sound will blend into the other, or how they might overlap or be repeated.
Draw where you live and make a sound recording of this place to accompany your drawing.
The musical score for Untitled (Death Song) takes its first note from the haunting cries of the yellow-eyed Bush Stone-curlew, a ground-dwelling bird endemic to Australia. Due to increases in land clearing, habitat loss, and predation by feral cats and foxes, the Bush Stone-curlew is listed as an endangered species. Create either a sculpture, installation, video or sound work that pays tribute to an Australian animal that is endangered or extinct.
Cope has repurposed relics from the mining industry, including oil drums and geological samples. Create a work of art which also functions as a musical instrument. As well as objects your recycling bin consider using items found in scrap yards or second hand shops.
Collect a variety of maps (weather, street, topographical, Google Maps) of the area where you live and go to school. You may also like to collect maps of an area you visit often with your family or a place you would like to visit. Have these maps changed over time? Use these maps as a starting point for a sculpture that explores the history of this place.