As Clay on Country continues its national tour, this weekend brings two special events to Geraldton Regional Art Gallery.

Artist Sally Mumford and ethno-ecologist Fiona Walsh, collaborators on the work Putu Frottage (2021), and both based in Mparntwe / Alice Springs, will be in Jambinu / Geraldton, offering audiences two different ways into the same story.

Two perspectives from Mparntwe

Sally’s practice spans printmaking and drawing, grounded in long-term immersion in Central Australia and a deep curiosity about environmental systems. Her work often begins with time spent on Country, observing, experimenting, and translating texture and pattern into layered visual forms.

Fiona, an ethno-ecologist, approaches the same landscapes through decades of collaboration and research. Having learnt from Martu people in the 80s and 90s, her work brings together ecological science and cultural knowledge. She is currently a Research Fellow with The University of Western Australia and the ARC Centre for Indigenous Environmental Histories and Futures.

Together, their collaboration on Putu Frottage sits where these practices meet.

A hidden landscape in plain sight

Putu Frottage uses site-specific clay and 12 sheets of delicate Wenzhou paper, printed with a repeated circular motif. This was then layered through a technique called frottage, with rubbings taken directly from putu, or termite pavements. Other works in the collection also show putu, in Mike Gillam‘s aerial photographs, and with eight termite pavement sections on display, collected from roadside gradings and adapted by Fiona Walsh, Sally Mumford, Josef Schofield, and Danae Moore.

These look like polka-dot patterns from the air and stretch across spinifex grasslands country, covering around 20% of Australia.

They have been engineered by termites over tens of thousands of years, made up of intricate networks of chambers and galleries, and supporting entire ecosystems.

“They’re like the krill of the desert,” Fiona says. “They feed everything.”

Through the exhibition, audiences are invited to see these formations not just as texture, but as living systems which have been embedded into Aboriginal knowledge systems. Women across desert regions have long used putu to thresh seeds, for example, as well as other uses.

“These are important cultural sites,” Fiona explains. “But that knowledge hasn’t always been recognised or documented.”

Ancient systems under pressure

While the work celebrates the complexity and resilience of these landscapes, it also points to their vulnerability.

Fiona highlights the growing impact of large-scale wildfires, intensified by invasive species like buffel grass.

“These are features that may be tens of thousands of years old,” she says. “But they’re increasingly at risk.”

The loss of termite systems has far-reaching consequences, disrupting desert food webs and the species that depend on them.

Making as a form of connection

For Sally, the process begins with materials, paper, ink, and in this case, the textures of Country itself.

During her time in Geraldton, she is holding a hands-on printmaking workshop using recycled Tetra Pak cartons, an accessible, experimental technique that transforms everyday materials into creative tools.

“Some printmaking techniques can be daunting and require specialised tools. Others can be done with very low-key materials at the kitchen table.”

The workshop quickly sold out, reflecting a strong appetite for these creative experiences in regional WA.

As the exhibition tours, Sally reflected on what it means to share this work beyond Central Australia:

“Clay on Country brings together a diverse range of visual artists from our vibrant creative community. Tours of this kind create opportunities for connection and exchange.”

Two ways to experience Clay on Country

If you’re in the area, join the events this weekend at Geraldton Regional Art Gallery, or share with your WA networks:

• 11am: Fiona Walsh will present a floor talk, sharing the ecological and cultural stories behind Putu Frottage and other works representing termite pavements
• 1pm: Sally Mumford will lead a printmaking workshop (now sold out), inviting participants into a hands-on creative process

Curated by Jo Foster and Neridah Stockley, this exhibition is being proudly toured by Artback NT, with the support of Creative Australia, and Visions of Australia.

See it in Geraldton until 5 April 2026.