Post‑mining research comes to life in community art exhibition
A new art exhibition has emerged from a four‑year study led by University of Newcastle researcher Associate Professor Hedda Askland, exploring how the Hunter Valley can navigate its post‑mining future.
The project examines how the region's ‘mining voids’ would shape how communities move forward.
A mining void is the open pit or landform left after a mine closes. The Hunter Valley is expected to have 25 voids, as 17 mines prepare to close over the next two decades. Some extend well below the natural groundwater level and will slowly fill to become long-term bodies of water.
Current rehabilitation conditions require voids to be left in a safe, stable and non-polluting condition. As sites close, a range of economic, environmental and safety considerations need to be assessed.
Associate Professor Askland and her team are exploring how communities can play an active role in regenerating these landscapes. Through a 2022 Australian Research Council Discovery project, the research team is looking beyond technical planning and focusing on the social and emotional impact of a mine closure. A key area of her study has been using art to bring out conversations that might not happen otherwise.
“These voids will be a lasting part of the mining legacy and we need community voices to help imagine a future based on restoration. Art helps us ignite reflection and imagination in ways interviews cannot," Associate Professor Askland said.
The research team also includes Associate Professor Meg Sherval, research assistant and artist Emma Clifton, and PhD candidate Sophie Nichols.
Over the past two years, they have gathered drawings, photographs and filmed stories from community members across the valley.
Many of these works now form the exhibition Welcome to the Void: Community Voices in Post-Mining Landscapes, which opens at the University of Newcastle Gallery on 13 February.
A major part of the project involved art workshops with local high school students. Instead of asking directly what they thought about mining voids, the team asked the students to draw the landscapes as they saw them now and as they imagined them in the future.
“Often when you ask kids questions like what they think a void will look like in 50 years, the room goes silent,” Associate Professor Askland said.
“Once you ask them to draw it, they open up. The ideas start flowing.”
Emma, who helped lead the workshops, says the visual approach gave young people a safe and expressive way to communicate their hopes and concerns.
“Their drawings were incredibly informative. Sometimes they were hopeful and other times they showed uncertainty. They revealed care and respect for nature and a longing to value the land that's left behind,” she said.
The exhibition also includes photographs shared by older residents along with two short films, one created by Emma and one by a student contributor.
Associate Professor Askland describes the exhibition as both an invitation for those outside mining communities to understand what is happening in the valley and a provocation to join a wider conversation about the region's future.
“We want to spark emotion and community dialogue,” she said. “If transition is going to be place-based, then the people who live here must be part of imagining what comes next.”
Welcome to the Void: Community Voices in Post-Mining Landscapes
University of Newcastle Gallery: 13–27 February 2026
Scone Arts and Crafts: 7–8 March 2026
Bulga Community Centre: 28–29 March 2026
Find out more here.
The Singleton Arts & Cultural Centre will host the research project's film premiere on 22 February. Keep an eye out for more details on the Centre's website.
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