Ten Days on the Island presents This is My Land, This is My Sea by Caleb Nichols-Mansell (Lutruwita/Tasmania):

Caleb’s love letter to the place he calls home will shine bright in Pataway/Burnie during the Festival.

Caleb Nichols-Mansell is an exciting young Palawa multi-media artist based in Pataway/Burnie. We invited Caleb to dream into new territory as an artist and he has visualised a three-part series of large-scale outdoor public artworks for the place he calls home. Collectively titled Love Letter to Pataway, the works speak to each other thematically and geographically, creating a trail addressing the industrial heritage of this town whilst also acknowledging the Palawa culture and identity that is endemic here.

In 2025, we present the first of these works. Caleb’s large-scale neon artwork, this is my land, this is my sea, is an adaptation of Peter Garrett’s lyrics from the Midnight Oil song ‘Burnie’; as much a nod to North-West pride as it is to the astonishing coastal landscape. Shining out across the city, the ocean is ever-present in the background, and this work reflects Caleb’s deep connection to this Country, his community, culture and spirit.

Over the next two Festivals, as we build towards the full series of these works from the heart, we invite the community to respond with their own love letters to this unique part of the world.

‘Like a lot of my work, the concepts are in direct response to the Country I live and work on while also interpreting the deep time history, culture and spirit that lives within these landscapes. I hope the work can speak to the experiences, history, and connection we all share with these lands.’
CALEB NICHOLS-MANSELL