© ATOM 2014 A STUDY GUIDE BY PAULETTE GITTINS
http://www.metromagazine.com.au
ISBN: 978-1-74295-475-2 http://www.theeducationshop.com.au HETTI PERKINS WITH CHILDREN; TYSON, MADELEINE, LILLE, THEA All photos © Hibiscus Films
COMMEMORATION, CELEBRATION. ‘WE’RE MAKING SURE WE’RE HEARD’. THE VOICE OF CONTEMPORARY INDIGENOUS ART IN ART + SOUL.
»»INTRODUCTION This fascinating three-episode series is an epic and mov- ing journey into Aboriginal and Torres Strait culture and The Australian landscape. From the Torres Strait Islands to heritage in all its diversity and complexity, its expression in the forests of Tasmania. many art media and a revelatory look at art practice.
Its colours, shapes, textures, its uniqueness of plants, Whether outback, rural or urban, contemporary Indigenous animals, terrain. Its ancient yet continuous, thriving, vibrant artists are communicating their culture, using a new culture. ‘language’ that allows them to explore this culture within the context of society today, manifesting the richness of Captured on film as the credits roll for art + soul, a docu- ancient traditions while still protecting their secrets. Their mentary produced for ABC TV in 2014 and following the mediums aren’t limited to acrylic or oil paints and ochre on original series of 2009–2010, this vast, enigmatic world is canvas, of course – they’re also using photography, video, the country of our Indigenous people and the bedrock of graphic design, light, shells, installation and public art this series.
Country. A unique, intensely special word for the people of A SCREEN AUSTRALIA and HIBISCUS FILMS PRODUCTION in the oldest living culture on the planet. As the voiceover of
association with THE ACT GOVERNMENT, SCREEN ACT, SCREEN SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 narrator Hetti Perkins tells us: TERRITORY and the NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA Developed and produced in association with This ancient land is our heartland. It is our flesh and blood. THE AUSTRALIAN BROADCASTING CORPORATION. STEVEN Our culture springs from and binds us to our country … Our MCGREGOR, DIRECTOR; BRIDGET IKIN and JO-ANNE MCGOWAN, art is a commemoration of our history, but is also a celebra- PRODUCERS; HETTI PERKINS, WRITER and PRESENTER tion of our survival, and it is the legacy which we will, in turn, pass on to our children. PRODUCED BY HIBISCUS FILMS
And the first work of Indigenous art we are introduced to?
Situated in the heart of the nation, the NGA – the National Gallery of Australia, in Canberra – is home to the Aboriginal Memorial, a forest of two hundred hollow log coffins cre- ated by the artists of Ramingining. This imposing, powerful installation commemorates the bicentennial in 1988 in both artistic and political terms, it venerates ‘all our people since 1788 who lost their lives defending our land. These silent sentinels are a profound tribute to our fallen.’
The new wing of the NGA is devoted to the art of DIRECTOR STEVEN MCGREGOR, AND MURRAY LUI Indigenous Australians – ‘our community, our culture, our country,’ says Hetti, ‘(celebrating) our status as the first people of this land on the national stage’. mediums. And, as we will see, from filmmakers to sculp- tors, from painters to artisans, all artists tell a story – an Aboriginal story. A story of country. »»OUR PRESENTER & GUIDE
Over the course of three episodes we will be looking at ‘Art is the voice of our people. This country is in our DNA. the works of a broad range of these artists, listen to them Its essence is something we carry with us always, no mat- share the influences that have inspired them in their work ter where our lives may lead.’ – Hetti Perkins and take particular note of the sociopolitical messages that inform so much of their art. Hetti Perkins, daughter of the famed Aboriginal spokes- man and activist Charles Perkins, has been a curator of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art over many years. »»INTERVENING THROUGH ‘The whole approach (to this documentary) was artist-led,’ ART declares Hetti when speaking of the impetus to art + soul, but it is clear to us as a viewing audience that her deep knowledge of the subject matter underpins every aspect Throughout art + soul, there are occasional references to of the series – from the choice of artists, to the questions the term ‘intervention’, a highly charged word synonymous she puts to them, to how she contexualises the art, always with the 2007 Federal Government package of changes to with that same perspective: how Indigenous art of the past welfare provision, law enforcement, land tenure and other identifies individual and particular communities, cultures measures, which ‘intervened’ in the sociocultural lives and customs, and how modern Indigenous art both links of the Northern Territory’s Indigenous residents. A highly to that past and reflects the modern world. After all, as controversial political move, this was motivated by govern- light sculptor Jonathan Jones observes, ‘you can’t be the ment reports of child sexual abuse and other serious issues world’s oldest living culture while standing still’. Traditional in the Territory. Many of the artists featured in this series ideas, themes and motifs can and are being reinterpreted in speak of their own personal ‘intervention’ in the lives of contemporary art – and this keeps the culture alive. their people through their work, teaching, telling stories and cautionary tales, illustrating the long history of damage to To return to Hetti: her childhood in the nation’s capi- their culture and social structures, and yet celebrating the tal, Canberra, was the scene in the 1960s and 1970s of beauty and potential of their people. an ongoing political struggle for recognition as the first Australians. ‘We were strangers in our own land,’ she re- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 This series of art + soul goes further than the first, allow- flects; her father ‘fought this battle on many fronts.’ The fa- ing more engagement with the themes and is much more mous gesture of ‘the tent embassy’ was a rallying point, set political. In part, that’s because it predominantly focuses on up on the very doorsteps of Parliament House. Throughout living artists, spends more time with fewer artists, and in- this series, Hetti will be occasionally referencing her own cludes in the line-up many city-based practitioners embed- family history as a means of showing us all those common- ded in modern society. alities shared by Indigenous people Australia-wide.
3 »»ART AS POLITICS recognise as pervasive in the array of artworks and artists in art + soul. With the National Gallery of Australia’s extraor- ‘We know we cannot live in the past, but the past lives in dinary Indigenous collection as the springboard, wherever us.’ – Charles Perkins we travel with Hetti – from cities to desert communities, museums and artists’ private spaces – the threads running Indigenous artists have been at the forefront of this strug- through the art are coloured with connection to land and gle for recognition. As cultural activists, they have used family, and stories of displacement. their art to overcome prejudice and celebrate their pride in their culture. In art + soul, a diverse group of contemporary The aims of this study guide are, therefore: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists reveal how their art practice is driven by culture and heritage, political and • to introduce us to the world of Indigenous art and personal preoccupations, dreams and imagination. artists; • to consider and comprehend Indigenous art as a means But the desire and demand for recognition as the first of political, social and cultural expression; people of the Australian continent is not a modern phenom- • to place Indigenous art into its historical perspective; enon. Before our narrator introduces us to the artists in this • to engage us in an understanding of the genesis of this series, we are introduced to an historical hero: Pemulwuy, art; one of the first ‘fallen heroes’ in the resistance to white • to showcase art + soul as curriculum support in various settlement and a singular inspiration to contemporary subjects and subject levels; Indigenous people. • to link this text to the National Curriculum criteria; • to provide a range of activities and tasks relevant to Pemulwuy’s name, we are told, meant ‘earth’. A proud war- specific classroom use. rior of the Bidjigal clan, he was a brilliant strategist, a man even whose enemies acknowledged his courage, a man This series showcases the emergence of a new style of prepared to stand up for his people, his country, his culture. Indigenous artist – speaking a visual language of our day, But this could not save him; paying the price for defending keen to engage with the world and the society in which his land, ultimately he was captured and killed, and shock- they live, while protecting the ancient traditions and knowl- ingly, his head sent to England as a trophy. edge that underpin their art. art + soul provides us with the thrilling diversity and beauty of this art through the prism of Pemulwuy’s story is not seen as one of defeat, but rather of Hetti Perkins’ insight, passion and knowledge. courage and inspiration. In the Sydney suburb of Redfern, Pemulwuy has been chosen by a local group of Indigenous artists as a symbol of pride in their identity as Aboriginal »»APPENDICES people. His spirit lives on, and recently, during the Royal Visit of Prince William, the community presented the prince Over the course of this series, a number of historical, social, with a petition to have Pemulwuy’s remains returned to political and artistic references are made that might require Australia. some clarification and explanation. This study guide will provide an appendix at the end of each episode’s synopsis So the past informs much of the contemporary perspec- in order to provide a fuller understanding of all ideas and tive of Indigenous Australians, a theme we will come to issues examined. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
HETTI PERKINS WITH CHILDREN; TYSON, LILLE, THEA, MADELEINE 4 DANIEL BOYD
Episode One of 30,000 individuals’ skulls and skeletons stored in the basement, many of which are the remains of Indigenous peoples. As a response to this confronting experience, his artistic works ‘rewrite’ Australian history. Daniel’s installation: PRIDE AND Up in Smoke Tour brings to light the often gruesome colo- nial practice of ‘collecting’ other cultures and even people PREJUDICE – these were ‘trophies of empire.’ He features a selection of the Museum’s archival specimen boxes in this installation. This land is me, Rock, water, animal, tree … Up in Smoke Tour reflects on the loss of native cultures re- (Paul Kelly, ‘One Night the Moon’) corded in the First Fleet Collection, particularly on the British perception of Port Jackson in 1788 and of the Aboriginal people. It’s the way these historic images obscure the origi- »»DANIEL BOYD, nal Indigenous identity that interests the artist. PAINTER, VIDEO AND The installation incorporates archival or personal photo- INSTALLATION ARTIST. graphs, portraits and museum collections, which he then overlays with the traditional ‘dot painting’ style as a ‘veil’ or The first Aboriginal artist Hetti Perkins introduces us ‘prism’ that masks some of the image, so as to throw back to is Daniel Boyd who, spurred on by the inspiration of questions about the destructive past actions of institutions Pemulwuy’s defiance, challenges the accuracy of colonial such as church missions or government policies. Daniel history in his paintings and installations. utilises a photograph of his great-great-grandfather, taken away as a slave from his homeland on Pentecost Island I find great strength in people like Pemulwuy … he gives me to Vanuatu. The connection to landscape, personal his- confidence and strength to challenge the way Aboriginal tory and ancestry means that these images are, in Daniel’s people have been treated in Australia … I chose art to put words, ‘quite loaded’. SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 ideas out there for other people to engage with and hope- fully change people’s perspectives … These works become a ‘lens’ through which the world is viewed and distorted, commenting on information known THE UP IN SMOKE TOUR INSTALLATION and unknown that, taken together, creates an entire view. Placing these images next to a set of archival boxes, their When studying on a scholarship at the Natural History juxtaposition creates ‘a cabinet of curiosities’ and tells an Museum in London, Daniel explored the massive collection Aboriginal story of memory and loss. 5 UNTITLED (LIFT UP THY PRAYER FOR THE REMNANT THAT IS LEFT)
This painting utilises this ‘overlaid’ style, incorporating a photograph of the Yarrabah Mission Church in far north Queensland, taken in 1904, and references the role church missions played in the loss of Indigenous cultural inherit- ance. This was one of the most difficult works Daniel has made ‘due to the emotional connection to the arrogance of Christianity’. The picture references many generations of Daniel’s family who grew up at Yarrabah Mission, and from what he has heard it was a brutal place. In an interview in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, Daniel reflects:
My nan told me if they were caught speaking (their Indigenous) language, their mouths were washed out with soap or they were made to dig out a stump of a tree with their bare hands … The only time the parents were allowed DANIEL BOYD WITH HETTI PERKINS to see their children was on Sunday for a few hours …
NATIONAL GALLERY OF AUSTRALIA EXHIBITION 2007: KING NO BEARD Jolly Jack emblem. The historical figures of King George III, Cook and Phillip have been extensively discussed and Daniel’s exhibition at the NGA addresses the principle of portrayed in terms of their impact on Indigenous peoples the colonisation of Australia, with clear and obvious refer- throughout the new worlds. Today, hundreds of years later ences drawn from the art of the colonial period. He and and several continents apart, Boyd’s work encourages the Hetti discuss the ‘official’ art of the infant colony of New idea of parallel dialogues between different cultures through South Wales and its portraits of distinguished citizens (A a kind of visual mimicry. The expression ‘no beard’ refers Woman of NSW by painter Maurice Felton, 1840; A Family to an account of Cook’s first landing in Australia, when, Group by Marshall Claxton, 1853; Edith, Mrs George it is said, Aboriginal people thought he and his men were Gatehouse by Benjamin Dutterau, 1834). Interestingly, women, due to their lack of facial hair. While this is funny these portraits are placed among prints and sketches enough, as a name ‘No Beard’ is also a reference to the of the Indigenous people who also resided in the newly well-known pirate Blackbeard, with whom the clean-shaven established colony, yet their representations are completely King George III, Cook and Phillip have much in common, as different. Hetti reflects that they are regarded by colonial in Boyd’s terms they all performed acts of piracy. artists almost as ‘fauna’. Within these works are embedded clues to Daniel’s politi- Among these colonial works, the iconic Webber Portrait of cal message: the chain of office made of tiny skulls, worn Captain Cook (1872) comes in for a strong satirisation. Tina by King George; the portrait of the artist’s head contained Baum – Curator of Indigenous and Torres Strait Islander Art in a jar, referencing, of course, the tragic treatment of at the NGA – in her expert analysis of Daniel’s 2007 exhibi- Pemulwuy; the flag, a hybrid of the Union Jack and the tion there, tells us: ‘Jolly Roger’ makes the point about ‘piracy’ clearly. The map of Australia titled Treasure Island placed beside Daniel’s perspective on Australia’s colonial history and its these portraits is a replica of one drawn up in 1994 for the impact on its Aboriginal people is not new, but his artistic Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander portrayal of it is. His work is humorous and exciting. His Studies, and for further information we can turn to Tina paintings for this exhibition read like pages in a book. Each Baum once more: is part of a story which, chapter by chapter and page by page, chronicles the ‘discovery’ of Australia by Europeans The map shows the 300-plus Aboriginal and Torres Strait and their subsequent colonisation of the continent. Boyd in- Islander language groups in the country. Before European troduces themes of piracy to his painted replicas of eight- settlement these clans lived harmoniously with their envi- eenth-century portraits of King George III, called King No ronment, their culture a rich and intricate heritage grounded Beard (2007), and Governor Arthur Phillip, called Governor in profound knowledge. For an Indigenous person, this map SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 No Beard (2007), as well as the dramatic apotheosis of represents sadness and loss as well as strength of culture. Captain James Cook called Fall and Expulsion (2006), in a Daniel’s intent is to remind us that history is not one-sided ‘spot the difference’ kind of series. Key figures in Australia’s but multifaceted, and that Australia’s Indigenous narratives discovery and growth into nationhood are altered with here are as real and as valid as those written in the accepted an eye patch, there a macaw parrot, and now and then a history books.
6 WANYUBI MARIKA
A DARKER SHADE OF DARK #1–4, depicts the grief and sacrifice borne by the artist, presented VIDEO INSTALLATION, 2012 as Christ in the work. The work is described as ‘monumen- tal in its power and unforgettable in its implications.’ A Darker Shade of Dark #1–4, 2012, is a four-channel HD video projection using colour and sound. Daniel’s intriguing Namatjira’s reverence for his country depicted in his paint- still-dots paintings are complemented by a moving-dots ing of sacred sites, while unnoticed by white society and art floor-to-ceiling video installation, which explores the subject collectors, is nevertheless clearly apparent to Indigenous of dark matter and takes viewers on a mesmerising cosmic artists today. In this way, his art is quite subversive, and a journey which contemplates ‘the birth of the universe.’ ‘Trojan horse.’
THE LINK TO ALBERT NAMATJIRA AND COUNTRY Albert Namatjira’s life and work is the subject of its own detailed focus in the first series of art + soul. Daniel’s discussion with Hetti draws on the impact of the famed Indigenous artist Albert Namatjira (1902–1959), who The ever-present connection to country in our Indigenous used Western-style materials and painted in a European artists is a ‘gaze’ we are now beginning to interpret in all its manner, depicting the landscape of his country. Archival cultural meaning. newsreel footage shows us the artist at work and we are in- formed of the shameful treatment he received at the hands of white government, his denial of the right to build a house »»WANYUBI MARIKA for his family with the proceeds of his art, the refusal of per- mission to buy land for cattle grazing and condemning him ‘The earth is our flesh. The rivers are our blood and the to a diminished life despite his international fame. He was inside core (of my painting) is our bones.’ – Wanyubi Marika bewildered by a society that accepted him as an artist yet would not allow him to live as they did. Daniel recalls his art The Yolngu people of north-east Arnhem Land in the education as a young student and a telling, powerful linocut Northern Territory have been at the forefront of the land made in 1959 by Noel Counihan. In this work, Namatjira is and sea rights movement, and for their artists painting is a portrayed as nailed to a cross. Counihan reflects: political act. Wanyubi’s father represented his people in the Supreme Court in Darwin in an ongoing land rights case,
What non-Aboriginal people didn’t understand, or chose and after an early career in teacher training – teaching tradi- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 not to understand, was that he was painting his country, tional dance and environmental rehabilitation – and work as the land of the Arrernte people. He was demonstrating to a homelands councillor, Wanyubi came to art, trained and the rest of the world the living title held by his people to the inspired by his father. lands they had been on for thousands of years. Wanyubi’s art proudly tells stories of law and land. He is A pioneer of printmaking in Australia, Noel Counihan was of a descendant of the Djang’kawu Sisters, who travelled to the Social Realist school of art, and his linocut of Namatjira Arnhem Land, arriving at Yalangbara and continuing west, 7 giving birth to the clans, creating and naming country and laying down the law that he and his people follow today in initiation ceremonies, meetings of clan leaders, and deci- sions over rules and governance. These mythic women are revered and represented in bark paintings and striking sculptures made of bark, with ceremonial armbands made of brilliant feathers, symbolising both the feminine and the land. These tall and imposing works are painted with a variety of symbols to show the arrival of streams of people, their meeting and the importance of that meeting.
The integration of different coloured feathers is a feature of Wanyubi’s work, representing sand, water, casuarina trees.
MOIETY WANYUBI MARIKA The Djang’kawu Sisters set down specific family connec- tions which delineated both sides of the family so that each individual can identify both the maternal and paternal sides Bark painting is a message of education, a message of their family. Wanyubi compares these individuations – that Yolngu have been here before Europeans landed in which are called Yirritja and Dhuwa – to ‘yin and yang’. In a Australia. culture that is passed down in art and an oral tradition, this history of moiety is the most significant and tangible means Madayin minytji is a pattern that holds inside our soul, that of connection to one’s clan and country, binding all Yolngu links to the land, and that identifies every clan and tribe that people and every object on land and in the sea. belongs to their country. Without this minytji, we’re nobody. We’d be changing colour, we’d be talking English, but lucky COLOURS OF COUNTRY we have all these minytji that is still existing strongly inside us and it can be conveyed by showing you the patterns of As Wanyubi sits down to paint, he acquaints us with the the design of the tribe. symbolism behind the choice of colours of artists in his region: The main message that comes from the paintings is about respect and manners, a tribe-to-tribe respecting of each • The main black, red and yellow ochre paints tell the other; they have to come in by a good manner and ask actual story; whatever they want to take from the land, they ask for • The yellow is a special colour, representing one side of permission. his moiety, and red representing the other; • White represents the sand of the rivers in the The imagery shows respect for Yolngu law – to good gov- Yalangbara district, and is often used in body painting ernance, peace and harmony in that area. We have to do for ceremonial ‘protection’. that in respect for the clan, what clan we’re entering into and to their law. It’s like going into a parliament, to Federal PAINTINGS ON BARK Parliament or Northern Territory Government, whatever government we have, but in a Yolngu way to understand Painting on bark is Wanyubi’s medium, and each pattern how you want to bring people into your unity, one mind, one holds a special meaning. In a public forum held at the heart. University of Melbourne he outlines its spiritual, legal and cultural significance: During the cleansing ceremony, the pattern is put on our body. It means respecting good governance and the law of Yolngu, to have a good manner, respecting each other like that …
THE BARK PETITION
Archival film now takes up the story of the Yolngu people SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 and the encroachment of mining interests on their land, compulsorily excised by the Commonwealth Government in 1963. In resistance, the community, including Wanyubi’s forefathers, united to proclaim their sovereignty over the Gove Peninsula. They were incensed by decisions taken without them and against them and disturbed that the min- WANYUBI MARIKA – BUKU-LARRNGGAY MULKA CENTRE ing would disturb and restrict access to sacred sites. 8 This stand resulted in the historic ‘Bark Petition’ – a docu- ment that combines bark painting with text typed on paper. This, Hetti tells us, was ‘a brilliant political masterstroke’, as it was recognised under Commonwealth law and therefore represents the first formal acknowledgement of Indigenous people in Australian law. (The 1963 petition was the first in a series of bark petitions that have been presented to Australian prime ministers and the Commonwealth par- liament over the years: in 1968, 1988, 1998, and 2008.) The 1963 bark petitions – the only ones to have been formally recognised – are exhibited in Parliament House in a ceremonial hall that also houses the Magna Carta and the Australian Constitution. Framing the text in the English language and translation are the Dhuwa and Yirritja clan designs that prove title to country under Yolngu law.
These bark petitions are considered ‘founding documents’ of our democracy and were a catalyst for a long process of legislative and constitutional reform to recognise the rights JONATHAN JONES of Indigenous Australians. For more information about these important political statements, see ‘Bark petitions: Indigenous art and reform for the rights of Indigenous Australians’ at the Australian Government website: Jonathan observes that everything in Europeanised
THE STAR INSTALLATION: UNTITLED »»JONATHAN JONES – (EORA SEASONS).
‘You can’t erase the memory of the past; it keeps jutting up.’ The work explores the complexities and dualities of physi- – Jonathan Jones cal and metaphysical ideas – open and closed, secular and sacred, seen and unseen, masculine and feminine. The Star Jonathan belongs to the Kamilaroi/Wiradjuri people of is the location for this important example of contemporary NSW, but he is a city-dwelling Aboriginal man, a Sydney Australian new media art – a forty-metre-long, highly in- artist – which means, he says, that he is forced to look at novative LED installation called the Water Wall, created by the surrounding environment, not his country. He works in Jonathan with designer Jamie Perrow. This work celebrates varied media, including printmaking, drawing, installation traditional Aboriginal knowledge and heritage by concep- and film. Nevertheless, while engaging with life in Sydney tualising the seasonal calendar of the surrounding Sydney and local knowledge bases, he is still focused on con- Harbour environment, translating each season into animat- necting the past to the present. In his major installations, ed patterns and imagery. Jonathan explores notions of community from a contem- porary, urban, Indigenous perspective. His work reveals a This artwork pays homage to the traditional Aboriginal peo- sophisticated understanding of Indigenous arts practice ple of Sydney Harbour, the Eora, and their strong and vibrant today. seafaring culture, while directly acknowledging the traditional custodians of the site, the Wongal people. (The designs in BONDI HEADLAND CARVINGS ‘JUT OUT’ OF THE PAST this installation were inspired by cuttlefish; the movement of the lights mimics their quick, darting movements.) SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 In the coastal Sydney suburb of Bondi, Hetti and Jonathan examine the ancient petroglyph carvings on the cliffs. The work has been created with the collaboration and con- These are signs of a past people’s country, permanently tribution of local Aboriginal communities, marine biologists, inscribed in the landscape. They make the observation that archaeologists, historians and underwater filmmakers. The in Europe, for instance, such a historically significant site result is a considered, site-specific artwork that recalls would be protected. the beauty, marvel and power of Sydney Harbour and its traditional owners. 9 JONATHAN JONES WITH HETTI PERKINS
Interestingly, Jonathan observes that when working with And while some things change, some remain the same. The Ray Barker, a traditional weapon-maker, the craftsman first people of the nation have witnessed the arrivals and compared Jonathan’s light-works to traditional designs departures from the tall ships to jumbo jets and their artists incised in ochre on traditional objects (such as boomerangs have documented it all, from the coming of the strangers and shields). Thus ancient information is passed on ‘like and the unfolding story of modern Australia. light that travels and connects us.’ And here we can see once more the reinterpretation of ancient cultural artefacts in contemporary art. This, Jonathan remarks, ‘keeps the »»MICKEY OF ULLADULLA – culture alive. Our people have always had to change and ‘POSTCARDS FROM THE work around new conditions and come up with new ideas constantly.’ Indigenous culture is, therefore, an ‘elastic PAST’ culture’. Mickey of Ulladulla (c.1820–1891), Aboriginal artist, was UNTITLED: HEADS OR TAILS: LIGHT SCULPTURE born on the south coast of New South Wales, a member of the Dhurga people. The first written record of him was Carved trees (dendroglyphs) are another source of crea- a note on some of his drawings in the collection of the tive inspiration for Jonathan. These were trees from which Mitchell Library, Sydney: Indigenous ancestors would cut away the bark and pro- ceed to carve into the ‘skin’ of the tree. They were used as Drawn by ‘Mickie’ burial and ceremonial markers and they form part of the An old crippled blackfellow traditional cultural practice of the Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi of Nelligen, Clyde River NSW nations of central western New South Wales and lower cen- 1875 tral Queensland – Jonathan’s country. Many of these old trees have disappeared due to fire, early anthropological Later drawings, dating from the 1880s, were annotated interference and wilful destruction. Some remain in country, with inscriptions describing the artist’s location as Ulladulla. however, locations are usually kept secret from the broader Micky or Mickey, also called Mickey Flynn, used pencil and community. This material is highly valuable as a cultural watercolour paints to create lively scenes crowded with asset. Some alternate forms of the practice have seen Aboriginal people and their daily life, animals, plants, fish, resurgence through cultural reappraisal both in carving boats and ships, in a naïve European style. Mickey found SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 with modern tools and painting. Jonathan uses a chevron fame after his death when five of his works were exhibited design sculpturally with fluorescent tubing and his installa- at the World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago, USA, tion reflects on this ancient practice of tree carvings (and its in 1893. When he died in 1891, Mickey had been living subsequent desecration) through the medium of light. for many years on the Aboriginal reservation at Ulladulla and was said to be nearly seventy years of age. Until Sydney, says Hetti, is alive with ‘spirit culture’. The build- recently his work was relatively unknown in Australia. He ings and roads will never erase the culture of this place. takes centre-stage in his firsthand observations of the late 10 »»SPIRIT OF PLACE
Indigenous peoples’ place in modern Australian culture is one shaped by prejudice. But like the delicately beau- tiful shells – starries, buttonies, conks and periwinkles – Aboriginal culture, as we can see through the works of unique and brilliant artists, is resilient. And in the tides of change, it becomes a declaration of pride no less profound than Pemulwuy’s heroic declaration of sovereignty.
ESME TIMBERY Appendix
• Charles Perkins (1936–2000) was born in Alice Springs at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station Aboriginal nineteenth century. His works such as Corroboree, Yuin/ Reserve, but was removed when he was ten and Dhurga peoples and Peterbrough Steamer (c.1888) record educated at St Francis House, a school established in the ceremonial gatherings of coastal communities side-by- Adelaide to educate Aboriginal boys. He trained initially side with the events of a changing world. as a fitter and turner but, being a gifted soccer player, he played professionally for the English club Everton, then on his return to Australia with the Adelaide »»ESME TIMBERY AND Croatian and Sydney Pan-Hellenic Clubs. MARILYN RUSSELL: Perkins first attended the Federal Council for Aboriginal Advancement annual conference in Brisbane in 1961. SHELLWORK AT He spoke with passion about his visit to Mungana LA PEROUSE reserve where he saw a double standard in action: at- tractive homes for the white staff and tin shanties for the Aboriginal residents. La Perouse peninsula is the suburb on the northern head- In 1965 Perkins, one of two Aboriginal students at the land of Botany Bay. In the twentieth century, ‘Laper’, as it is University of Sydney (the other was Gary Williams), affectionately known, saw a thriving tourist and day-tripper was keen to find a way to publicise the Aboriginal trade with the local Indigenous community who entertained cause. This led to the formation of Student Action for visitors with culture such as exhibitions of boomerang and Aborigines (SAFA) and the decision to organise a bus axe-throwing, and handicrafts made of local shells. tour of western New South Wales towns. About thirty students, led by Perkins, travelled to Walgett, Moree, ‘Queen Emma Timbery’ was the first in a lengthy family line Kempsey and other towns, exposing discrimination to utilise and craft the abundant supply of shells from the in the use of halls, swimming pools, picture theatres local sandhills. For almost eighty years, Esme Timbery has and hotels. In a number of towns, Aboriginal returned been part of this living history, from collecting and sort- servicemen were only permitted entry to the Returned ing shells at the age of five to making her own brooches, Service League clubs on Anzac Day. This trip became jewellery boxes and ornamental baby booties, ‘shelling’ known as the Freedom Ride and assumed iconic status architectural icons that have found a place in our state and as the students ensured that they had press coverage national galleries. Esme’s recollections of the popularity of for the conflicts that occurred in these towns. Their these ornamental works reaches back into the past when effective use of television brought the issue of racial she tells how this work first found its way to England in the discrimination in country towns to national attention. 1930’s and ‘people were fighting over it’. Perkins’ role in this action propelled him to a position as a national Aboriginal leader and spokesman, a position Esme’s daughter, Marilyn Russell, also carries on the fam- he held until his death. In 1965 he became the manager ily tradition of shellwork with her own individual choices, of the Foundation for Aboriginal Affairs in Sydney, and styling and placement of shells on models of the Sydney in 1969 he moved to Canberra to begin work in the Harbour Bridge, and even model boomerangs, decorated Office of Aboriginal Affairs, which was set up by Prime with intricate and colourful patterns of tiny shells, attesting Minister Harold Holt. By 1984 Perkins was Secretary of to the hours of skilled work in the making of these popular the Department of Aboriginal Affairs, the first Aboriginal SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 ornaments. There is a great deal of ‘story’ in these works Australian to attain such a position in the bureaucracy. for these women, recollecting their happy memories of Charlie Perkins was an independent spirit who gave collecting shells as children and sitting in a tranquil family much to the cause of his people, and also to Australian group, whiling away the days at this gentle craft. soccer. His independence of mind meant that he was no stranger to controversy. He was given a state funeral in recognition of his dedicated work for Indigenous Australians. 11 • The ‘Tent Embassy’: In the 1970s, inspired by the Black • ‘Songlines’: Within the animist belief system of Power movement in the US, Aboriginal people were politi- Indigenous Australians, a songline – also called dream- cally very active, resulting in demands for land rights for ing track – is one of the paths across the land (or some- the areas that they lived on over millennia. Land rights times the sky) which mark the route followed by localised were considered the key to economic independence, and ‘creator-beings’ during the Dreaming. The paths of the land the base to generate resources and employment. songlines are recorded in traditional songs, stories, dance To many it came as a shock when in April 1971 the and painting. Northern Territory Supreme Court decided against A knowledgeable person is able to navigate across the Aboriginal people and in favour of a mining company to land by repeating the words of the song, which describe have access to Aboriginal land. Australian common law, the location of landmarks, waterholes, and other natural the justice concluded, did not recognise Aboriginal land phenomena. In some cases, the paths of the creator- rights. Aboriginal people travelled to Canberra to ask the beings are said to be evident from their marks, or petro- Prime Minister of the time, William McMahon, to give somatoglyphs, on the land, such as large depressions in them title to their land. Nine months later, the government the land which are said to be their footprints. effectively ruled that Aboriginal people had no entitle- By singing the songs in the appropriate sequence, ment to land, forest or mineral rights. Aboriginal people Indigenous people could navigate vast distances, often erected the Tent Embassy in 1972 in Canberra to protest travelling through the deserts of Australia’s interior. The against these decisions, surrounded by placards in front continent of Australia contains an extensive system of of Parliament House proclaiming the tent an ‘Aboriginal songlines, some of which are of a few kilometres, whilst Embassy’. Because they had no rights in their own land, others traverse hundreds of kilometres through lands of the Aboriginal protesters argued that they were ‘aliens in many different Indigenous peoples – peoples who may [their] own land’ and as such they would need an em- speak markedly different languages and have different bassy of their own. The government hastily drew up a law cultural traditions. banning camping on Commonwealth property and, on 20 Since a songline can span the lands of several different July, police moved in violently and forcibly removed tents language groups, different parts of the song are said to and arrested Aboriginal people. Within days the Aboriginal be in those different languages. Languages are not a bar- embassy population swelled to several hundred protest- rier because the melodic contour of the song describes ers who re-erected tents only to clash with police again. the nature of the land over which the song passes. The Many struggles and battles later, the Embassy has be- rhythm is what is crucial to understanding the song. come a heritage-listed landmark for Aboriginal protest. Listening to the song of the land is the same as walking • Ramingining is an Indigenous community in the Northern on this songline and observing the land. Territory, Australia, 560 kilometres east of Darwin. It is In some cases, a songline has a particular direction, on the edge of the Arafura Swamp in Arnhem Land. and walking the wrong way along a songline may be a The population is approximately 800 people. The com- sacrilegious act (e.g. climbing up Uluru where the correct munity was established in the early 1970s and became direction is down). Traditional Aboriginal people regard all recognised as Aboriginal land with the passage of the land as sacred, and the songs must be continually sung Aboriginal Land Rights Act of 1976. For more information to keep the land ‘alive’. on this community, go to
12 The three best-known nineteenth-century missions in In the immediate vicinity of Redfern station, surrounded NSW were Cumeragunja, Warangesda and Brewarrina. by Eveleigh, Caroline, Louis and Vine Streets, the In 1893 these places were taken over by the government Aboriginal Housing Company (AHC) was set up as the and run as stations or reserves. In 1911, at the height of first urban Aboriginal community housing provider, using the government’s program of reserve lands, there were grant money to purchase the houses. As a result, the area 115 reserves. Of these, seventy-five had been created is important to the Aboriginal community. because of Aboriginal demands for land. Eveleigh Street, which is part of ‘The Block’, is well known The stories of missions and reserves tell of a time when for its community. In 2004 much of the housing here was Aboriginal nations had been devastated by disease, demolished with plans for redevelopment, but it is still an pastoral expansion and conflict. Aboriginal people were area around which many people congregate. The AHC’s heavily restricted in their access to land and freedom plans for redevelopment are known as the Pemulwuy Project. of movement. Missions and reserves remain important The local police boys club (PCYC) has artwork painted on today because of their ongoing use by Aboriginal people, the outside walls of the building which was completed in and because of the deep and personal attachments many the early 1990s. The picture has local sports stars such as people still have to missions and reserves. Richard Bell, Bruce Swanson, Rossie Symmans, Nicholas • La Perouse: For a detailed, comprehensive history of Murray, Nathan Denzil and Jamie Sharpe. The mural was La Perouse from both Indigenous and non-Indigenous painted by probably the most notable Redfern artist of the perspectives, see Julia Kensey’s article ‘La Perouse’ at 1990s: Sir Joseph Phillips.
Episode Two »»WARWICK THORNTON OF ALICE SPRINGS BEAUTY AND (MBANTWE) – FILMMAKER CRUELTY AND ARTIST
As the series progresses, we will be consistently shown the ‘By creating questions, you start a conversation, which is magnificent landscape of Australia – its mountains, vast really important … As an Aboriginal artist, every breath you deserts, rivers, its towering trees and its glorious sunsets. It take is a political statement …’ – Warwick Thornton is, of course, some of the harshest country in the world and yet, for Hetti Perkins, some of the most beautiful. It is an In many ways, Alice Springs is still a frontier town. A kind of environment in which Indigenous peoples have survived for romanticised ‘cowboy culture’ remains in the clothes, music millennia. And it is the beauty and cruelty of this land that and way of life favoured by Hetti’s ‘mob’, as she affection- lies at the heart of the legend of ‘the outback’. In recent ately refers to her family. A sense of nostalgia and love for years, new challenges have been thrown up for Aboriginal wide open spaces, big skies and an outsider camaraderie. Australians, possibly even harsher than those thrown up This is the town where acclaimed film director and artist by nature. This episode examines those challenges and Warwick Thornton was born and raised and he tells his the response of the Indigenous artists – always innovative, stories through his art, continuing the oral tradition through always ‘elastic’ in their practice. the lens of a camera – from the inside looking out. Warwick had been waiting patiently for about twenty years to make Hetti’s own family history alludes to the resilience and a feature film since he first started hanging out at CAAMA adaptability of Indigenous people – taking as an exam- Radio in Alice Springs in his teens. Warwick was a teenage ple and a role model her grandmother, after whom she is DJ at CAAMA; he used to watch the video unit vehicle drive named. Born around 1895, Nanna was a pioneering woman off to exotic places and was forced to hear all the stories of Altunga in the Central Australian desert, who experi- when they came back. When a media traineeship came up, SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 enced the ‘frontier’ firsthand and raised her many children he jumped at the chance and hasn’t looked back. He learnt single-handedly in a place which, for the modern nation, his trade of cinematography on the job and then went to seemed like the ‘Wild West’. Nana’s stories are part of this AFTRS film school in Sydney for three years. country and part of the Perkins family’s story. They form part of the time-honoured tradition of the passing on of oral After graduating, he got bored with sitting around wait- history. ing for the phone to ring with work offers, so he decided to write some of his own ideas. His body of work includes 15 short films Payback, Mimi, Green Bush and Nana. He has Gibson) – and helps her with her artworks. also directed and shot loads of documentaries. Delilah is a very self-contained young woman. When her He lives in Alice Springs and is obsessed with collecting grandmother dies and the community blames Delilah, quite Gibson guitars and riding dirt bikes. ferociously, she and Samson take off for Alice Springs where they live on the fringe, unable to get life together. SAMSON AND DELILAH (2010) – A WORK OF CINEMATIC ART. This is … one of the most wonderful films this country has ever produced. It is exquisitely made, it’s full of discipline. The dichotomy of beauty and cruelty of the landscape is There’s not a spare moment in it. starkly expressed in his hit film Samson and Delilah (2009). ‘Tragedy happens in paradise,’ he tells Hetti. Samson and The two young performers are mind-blowingly good. You Delilah was Warwick’s debut feature film and it earned him enter into their world and you’re riveted there for the fairly the Camera d’Or Award at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. short duration of the film. This is no grand biblical narrative; it’s a heartbreaking love story set in a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs. There is a European sensibility to it. There’s very little Described as a ‘survival love story’ by the director, the film dialogue and there are long sequences, but with Thornton depicts two fourteen-year-olds living in a remote Aboriginal himself behind the camera – handheld in trying conditions – community who steal a car and escape their difficult lives it looks fabulous. by going to Alice Springs. The ordinary everyday injustices dealt Indigenous people in this community is the back- The emotional punch that Samson and Delilah delivers is ground to this melancholy yet ultimately hopeful tale. one of those rare things in cinema which doesn’t come along very often. And when it does you feel like falling down Reviews of Samson and Delilah have consistently been on your knees in gratitude. glowing. Here is an excerpt from the ABC program At The Movies: And it’s not because Thornton has gone for sentimentality. It’s the reverse. He’s made a tough little film about love and Despite its title, it bears no resemblance to the biblical it’s a knockout. story. It’s about two kids, young teenagers in a commu- nity in the central desert. Samson (Rowan McNamara) is CINEMATIC INFLUENCES a petrol-sniffing layabout who would play music if only his brother would let him. Warwick has love for ‘cowboy’ cinema – the epic films of Sergio Leone and John Ford were his earliest inspiration He fancies Delilah (Marissa Gibson), who looks after her – and since so many of these early ‘Westerns’ involved grandmother – played by her real-life grandmother, (Mitjili bloody conflicts with the Native Americans, the stories also SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
WARWICK THORNTON 16 resonated with him as an Indigenous individual himself. The trader during Europe’s Thirty Years’ War and the plight of sense of kinship with the horrific treatment of tribes shown Indigenous communities in the Western Desert: on the big screen was clear to him and his Aboriginal friends even when young. In particular, Soldier Blue (Ralph There are some amazing correlations between this lady Nelson, 1970), an American ‘Revisionist Western’ movie and what’s happening in the desert at the moment with inspired by events of the 1864 Sand Creek massacre in the Indigenous people, having to move off their country to Colorado Territory, tells a tale of murder of innocent women follow certain elements to be able to survive … I’m using and children, despite the males of the tribe wishing to live Brecht’s backstory in a sense, so anybody with any knowl- in peace. For an in-depth analysis of this film, see
Sadly, Indigenous Australia has had its own history of mas- The artist has left his character’s situation and actions open sacres, and the emotional and historical connection is not to multiple readings: lost on Indigenous people and their artists. The Coniston Massacre of 1928 in central Australia illustrates the kind of In a lot of the stuff I make, I try to not dictate a right or cultural misunderstandings that characterised early colonial wrong, a yes or no. Some people will walk in there and feel contact. really passionate and sad about this woman – she’s con- fined in this van, and doesn’t really do anything but paint. Warwick reflects that his work may not contain answers, And the kid seems really bored. Another person will be re- but it asks important questions, empowering those who ally empowered by the idea that this woman has created a suffer in his stories. Art, then, can be ‘a healing ceremony’. form of self-determination and gotten out of this vicious cy- cle of some communities – this sister’s doing it for herself, MOTHER COURAGE FROM AN INDIGENOUS you know, and she’s gone straight to the source of what she VIEWPOINT knows, which is art.
‘I wanted to create stuff where I could go off and do it DEBIL DEBIL EXHIBITION, PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES myself, where I don’t need 100 crew and $3 million,’ says (UNTITLED, 2013) Warwick of his attraction for the art of installation. In 2012, Warwick exhibited Mother Courage at the prestig- Australian public intellectual and activist Professor Marcia ious exhibition Documenta in Kassel, Germany. Based on Langton AM curated an exhibition and program of cinema Bertolt Brecht’s play Mother Courage and Her Children, entitled Debil Debil: Australian Ghosts presented at the the immersive film and sound installation provides insight Anna Schwartz Gallery, Sydney, from 20 April until 8 June into contemporary Aboriginal life in small regional towns 2013. The subjects of many of the works of this group of and explores the tensions between urban and traditional artists are recognisable characters from the dark past of Indigenous lifestyles. frontier of Australian anthropology and history; sometimes human, sometimes ancestral, but always carrying multiple The first thing we see upon entering the darkened gallery meanings. The inherent power of the works is that, while space is a battered van, softly spot-lit in the middle of the appearing to reference a very modern present, they glance room. Red dust coats the bumper and tyres, bespeaking back, creating a tension, anxiety or a lack of resolution, and long drives across Australia’s centre, while paintings hang all the while alluding to what is and might have been. The from the van’s sides. A newspaper wedged against the dirty work delves into the past to resurrect not just history or windscreen features a headline about troubled Top End ghosts but reinterpretations of the self, place and present. Aboriginal communities, while a red handprint on the van’s front speaks of Indigenous ownership. Then, suddenly, we Traditionally, a ‘debil’ is part of an Aboriginal story to warn perceive movement in the back of the van and realise there children to behave according to set rules and guidelines, is an elderly woman inside, painting. or the ‘debil’ will come and take them away. In a series of strikingly gothic works in blood red pigment prints, three Closer inspection reveals the action is playing out on a life- looming figures – a policeman, a priest and a stockman sized video screen inside the van, but the clarity of the foot- (indiscernibly black or white) – hover above the landscape age conveys a disconcerting impression of real presence. as if at any moment they might either ascend to the heav- This is only reinforced when we walk around the back of ens or bring down their wrath. Warwick places himself in the van to find the image’s reverse playing inside the open these prints, in the context of the post-colonial diaspora of rear door. From here the elderly painter faces us, as she Aboriginal communities as ‘the bad guy’: the pastoralist, SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 carefully applies brushstrokes to her work, while a young the policeman, and the priest. These are the ‘devils’, or ‘de- boy (Elijah Button) sits beside her playing air guitar to the bils’, who inflicted so much damage on Aboriginal lifestyle sounds of the Green Bush country music show blaring from and communities a radio. Historically, these colonial authority figures portrayed Reading the original play, Warwick saw strong paral- themselves as ‘semi-saviours’, protecting and providing lels between Mother Courage’s travails as an itinerant for Indigenous people. Then, suddenly, they began taking 17 children away as the mythic ‘debils’ do. This fascinating link is paralleled and aligned with western cultural prac- tices of the past and of course, references ‘The Stolen Generations’. For further information on this exhibition, see ‘Debil Debil: Australian Ghosts at Anna Schwartz Gallery’ at
STRANDED – 3D INSTALLATION
Warwick, as we have seen, uses himself as the subject of many of his works, and in his 3D installation and accompa- nying stills, set in Palm Valley – Albert Namatjira’s country HETTI PERKINS WITH YARRENYTY ARLTERE ARTISTS – he places himself on a revolving crucifix constructed as a glowing light box. His first venture at creating art for a gallery space, it sees the artist cast as a Christ figure. This pointed, confronting work explores yet again the impact cowboys and crucifixes, angels and demons, all become of Christianity and the mission era. Stranded grew out of part of the uniquely Aboriginal world view, celebrating Warwick’s memories of restrictive life as a student at a country. Christian boarding school, where ‘if you didn’t fit in, you didn’t survive’. »»MARLENE RUBUNTJA, ‘When I grow up I want to be just like Jesus,’ young DULCIE AND RHONDA Warwick is recalled by his older self to have said, and Stranded is the grown-up take on that. A Kaytej man whose SHARPE AND THE lands lie to the north of Alice Springs, the Australian desert YARRENTY ARLTERE ART has a strong presence in Thornton’s work and it is here that he situates this version of Golgotha. Crucifixes with skulls CENTRE ARTISTS and bones near a watering hole, Stranded shows images of the figure from different angles and at different times of At a claypan on the outskirts of Alice Springs, a magical day. There are still prints and a 3D film that adds sound and process begins. Like alchemists, the Yarrenty Arltere Art depth to the immensity of the plight depicted and the space Centre artists bring to life new forms of cultural expression in which it takes place. and storytelling through ‘soft sculpture’. This Art Centre is a very special place for artists of this region to learn the crafts Warwick’s art explores universal themes – faith, love, hope and textile work from the older generation. – within the frame of the frontier, revealing the beauty and the cruelty, the epic and the everyday, and all with a tender- AN ARTISTIC ‘INTERVENTION’ ness that reveals his part in this ongoing story of daily life in Aboriginal communities. His work is testimony to the In the Larapinta Valley town camp, our artists collect dif- enduring strength of Indigenous culture. Western icons of ferent varieties of leaves and flowers from the surrounding bush. These are used to dye old, recycled blankets, which are the outer ‘skin’ of the soft sculptures. Mixing everyday objects – recycled blankets, cast-off machinery, flowers, tea, bark – these are all bound together and steeped in boil- ing water to allow the colours and textures of the landscape the artists live in and work in to infuse a unique ‘flavour’ in each of their wonderful and whimsical sculptures.
These soft sculptures, while apparently made for children, have a particularly serious purpose: they will be used to
tell an important story based on the social issues of the SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 area – that is, that too many teenagers are going into the local town and finding themselves in trouble with the police. These sculptures imitate local life and seek to act as a teaching tool, a series of cautionary tales.
In the town camps around Alice Springs – communi- MARLENE RUBUNTJA – YARRENYTY ARLTERE ARTIST ties that have generally suffered from the stigma of being 18 This art is not a relic from a long distant past; it is about the here and now, about the daily lives, the cares and concerns we all share and about making a difference.
»»JULIE GOUGH – ‘SCULPTOR OF STORIES’
Hetti next travels to Tasmania to meet Julie Gough and her sometime collaborator, her brother David, who are descendants of the Trawlwoolway people – the Indigenous people of far north-east Tasmania. Julie has the ‘offi- cial’ history of Tasmania in the crosshairs of her art. She observes:
I’m very interested in tracking my own history, which is MARLENE RUBUNTJA WITH HETTI PERKINS Tasmanian Aboriginal history on my mother’s side and Scottish and Jewish and other stories on my father’s side. So I come to Australia with this sense of knowledge that’s limited about myself and this country … and try to figure ‘fringe-dwellers’ – art plays a particularly vital role in the out my place in this type of ‘detective’ way … process of self-determination and empowerment. At Yarrenty Arltere, these deceptive sculptures surpass the traditional For Julie, the process of making art is almost forensic, art exhibition context. They give a voice to people who have gathering evidence from the past to decipher a white story long been part of the economy but not the wider community. and, in the process, repatriate a black history. Working predominantly in sculpture and installation art, her research LITTLE DINGI – ANIMATION practice involves uncovering and representing historical stories as part of an ongoing project that questions and re- The completed sewn, decorated sculptures are the charac- evaluates the impact of the past on present lives. Much of ters in a short animated film about a teenager, Little Dingi, the work refers to her own and her family’s experiences as who has lost his sense of direction, and is always in town Tasmanian Aboriginal people and is concerned with devel- and always in trouble. His grandmother tries everything to oping a visual language to express and engage with often keep him in his community where it’s safe; ultimately, the conflicting and subsumed histories. A central intention of story is successful when Dingi’s parents also lend a hand in Julie’s art is to invite a viewer to a closer understanding his upbringing. To view this short film, go to
19 YARRENYTY ARLTERE ARTISTS – SOFT SCULPTURES A BEAUTIFUL LANDSCAPE AND A SAVAGE HISTORY
Within this verdant landscape, a brutal strategy known as the Black Line was staged in 1830. Governor George Arthur called on all colonists, convict or free, to form a human ‘chain’ and round up and purge the land of the first Tasmanians. While this military campaign was a failure, it resulted in the impounding of Julie’s people on Flinders Island. (For more detailed information on this history, see the Appendix.) Julie sees the Aboriginal history of Tasmania as the victim of a ‘deliberate perpetration to try and erase Aboriginal people from the island’.
THE CONSEQUENCE OF CHANCE: INSTALLATION (2011)
JULIE GOUGH WITH HETTI PERKINS This installation occupies a permanent place in the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery, Hobart. Using ar- chival objects such as a reprint of the 1830 Governor’s Proclamation, colonial furniture and natural materials, This work is a well-worn chaise impressed with a text made Julie’s tent-shaped installation involves the observer walk- from tens of thousands of pins … [and] burnt tea tree stick ing round the work to see the many sides of the historical spear legs … turning this familiar furniture item into a fugi- conflict between white and black Tasmania – the ‘Anglo tive object that threatens potential mobility, even flight … version’ of this history and the Indigenous perspective. Impressed into the old leather is an excerpt from The Art critic Constantino de Tejero, in his online essay ‘In the Hobart Town Courier, Saturday 27 November 1830: realm of ancestral shadows’, comments on this installation: Two of the aborigines who have been living so long at Mr The Consequence of Chance is a wondrous mélange of Robinson’s … absconded this morning, after divesting fragile and illusionary objects, sound work and shadow pro- themselves entirely of the clothing given to them … They jection, hangings on walls and suspensions in midair, bits of were encountered in the bush by two broom makers, one paper and dry leaves scattered on the floor. It is an exem- a cripple, who succeeded in taking them. The blacks made plar of … chance and indeterminacy in aesthetic organiza- every effort to escape. Several persons at work in the bush tion... The artist says she is questioning here the workings fled at the sight of them. Nothing can tame them … of chance that brought at least twelve of her ancestors to Australia … The chaise … (says Julie) usually represents, for me, the ambit comfort of the upper classes in ‘settling’ into a SHE WAS SOLD FOR ONE GUINEA: supposedly colonised Van Diemen’s Land. Furniture … FOUND OBJECTS (2007) represent[s] … contact with the past of the colonisers, to read how they occupied their newly invented properties. Using what she calls ‘found objects’, Julie fashions a story The pins represent … change and … a tool of a seamstress of abduction and prejudice from the historic Indigenous who make[s] the clothes that the Aborigines in this story so past – in this case an old book, a piece of beaded jewellery quickly divest themselves of … and strategically placed words. The palpable surfacing of Hobart Town’s fear is evident in SOME TASMANIAN ABORIGINAL CHILDREN LIVING the text: ‘Nothing can tame them.’ It reveals publicly how WITH NON ABORIGINAL PEOPLE BEFORE 1840: well received will be the intention of the Government to of- INSTALLATION. ficially remove all Tasmanian Aboriginal people the following year in the ‘Black Line campaign’ of 1831. With a ‘found’ chair and burnt tree sticks, this elegantly powerful work says all that is needed in its title: the litany of This contemporary viewer/reader’s precognition of what will names scorched into ti-tree saplings brings the history of happen to Tasmanian Aboriginal people in the subsequent the first peoples of Tasmania close to home. century – post-1830s Bass Strait banishment – rests uneas- ily with the abject humour in the text openly contradicting SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 THE CHASE – INSTALLATION itself, admitting that a cripple managed to capture the two ‘untameable’ Aborigines. Julie’s ‘intervention’ into this piece of ‘repatriated furniture’ – a piece of so-called ‘settler colonial history’ – is anything TRAVELLER: VIDEO PROJECTION (2013), but comfortable; it is literally a ‘pin-cushion’ containing a LOST WORLD COLLECTION prickly history. Julie describes her intentions in this work as follows: Julie’s recently developed Lost World video collection includes The Lost World (part 1) (2013), Oblivion (2013), 20 novel, this representing the telling of her story through the use of native tea-tree branches. Constructed in the midst of the tea-tree forest is a rollercoaster representing the journey of her life and memories of her childhood spent living near St Kilda’s Luna Park. Taking us through her journey is a cuttlefish-bone canoe, describing her family ancestry along the coastal region of north-eastern Tasmania. The use of these particular materials and forms in this artwork is in response to an intention to create a convergence between her childhood memories, her Tasmanian Aboriginal culture and identity.
Julie’s art is about the place of memory, forgetting, loss, denial and the potency of the past.
For a detailed and comprehensive insight into this artist’s JULIE GOUGH work, see ‘Living in the past: An Aboriginal artist’s experi- ence of being Tasmanian’, AIATSIS Conference, Canberra, 29 September 2009: http://www.aiatsis.gov.au/research/ conf2009/docs/Gough.pdf Traveller (2013) and Haunted (2013). These were created from, or in response to, the controversial diary of George Augustus Robinson, Friendly Mission, which has become »» VERNON AH KEE something of a textbook of Tasmania’s colonial history – but as Gough puts it, ‘Friendly Mission doesn’t allow for a Hetti’s journey now takes us to far north Queensland, future, just despair’. to Palm Island, also called by the Aboriginal name ‘Bwgcolman’, an Aboriginal community located on Great In Traveller, Gough takes up the persona of the traveller, Palm Island in the Great Barrier Reef region. The settlement equipped with animal hide and cultural toolkit including is also known by a variety of other names including ‘the screw-together wooden spears. She is depicted trying to Mission’, Palm Island Settlement or Palm Community. hitchhike her way to locations with poignant Tasmanian associations such as The Nut and Highfield House. She is Palm Island is often termed a classic ‘tropical paradise’ shown ritualistically screwing together her spears (which given its natural endowments, but it has had a troubled his- Gough is renowned for in her sculptural practice) and prey- tory since the European settlement of Australia. For much ing on cattle at Highfield House – a somewhat humorous of the twentieth century it was used by the Queensland attempt at hunting. Government as a settlement for Aboriginals considered guilty of such infractions as being ‘disruptive’, being pregnant to a LOCUS – INSTALLATION white man or being born with ‘mixed blood’. The community created by this history has been beset by many problems Locus is Julie’s largest work to date, as a continuation of and has often been the discussion point of political and her ‘long-held interests: What is life; what is self; how do social commentators. Of significant sociological concern is a we locate ourselves, especially in the city?’ The title refers lack of jobs and housing. Since its creation as an Aboriginal to an exploration of life, of self, of the location of ourselves reserve, Palm Island has been considered synonymous with – a work depicting a merging of elements impacting on the Indigenous disadvantage and violence. At the same time, creation and present state of her life and a representation of it has been at the forefront of political activism which has her history. sought to improve the conditions and treatment of Australia’s Indigenous peoples as well as redress injustices visited on The artwork depicts a tea-tree forest speared with pages them broadly as a race and on Palm Island specifically. from a novel. Central to the forest is a branch-constructed rollercoaster frame supporting a cuttlefish-bone canoe. This idyllic tropical setting therefore, is in stark con- Each element of this artwork, as dictated by the accompa- trast to the conditions and history of the Indigenous nying artist’s statement, is intended to represent aspects people of this area, people who chose not to conform that helped shape memories of her past and influences of to the notoriously repressive Protection Act legislation SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 her future. She represents herself as a canoe, that is both that controlled every aspect of people’s lives and who positive and sad. ‘But’, says the artist, ‘it can float, can therefore suffered a variety of maltreatment. For a back- carry things, but it talks about the loss of culture and what ground to the series of legislative interventions into the can be rebuilt from something that’s been fractured and lives of Indigenous Australians, see ‘Indigenous Australia damaged, from so many pieces’. Timeline – 1901 to 1969 : A timeline of events relating to Indigenous Australians from the time of Federation The tea-tree branches penetrate into the timber platform in 1901 until 1969’ at
In 2004, racial tension on Palm Island boiled over follow- Vernon is best known for his conceptual text pieces, ing the first coronial inquest into the death while in custody videos, photographs and drawings that critique Australian of Mulrunji Doomadgee, a local man. The subsequent riot popular culture from the perspective of the Aboriginal by the locals was the result of a verdict that struck them experience of contemporary life. His monumentally scaled as inaccurate and unjust. Mulrunji’s death was repeatedly pencil portraits of Aboriginal family members gaze defiantly branded ‘cold-blooded murder’. The local courthouse, at the viewer. police station and police barracks were burned down and eighteen local police and their families were forced to with- Typically his work questions the optimistic rhetoric of ‘multi- draw and barricade themselves in the hospital. Later the culturalism’ in post-colonial Australia, and in Tall Man he same day, approximately eighty police from Townsville and continues his investigations into the constructed nature of Cairns were flown to Palm Island to restore order. history, revealing the ongoing struggle for truth as ‘history is always written by the victors’. He reflects: TALL MAN – INSTALLATION (2010) Tall Man asks questions, questions that compel. What of This terrifying experience is the subject of local artist Lex Wotton? And why don’t we talk about Palm Island? Vernon Ah Kee’s video installation Tall Man, in which activist When we say ‘Palm Island’, there are connotations that and town councillor Lex Wotton is portrayed as a hero for fix us, that give us pause, and send our emotions racing his role in the riot. Although the work’s title is closely related toward tipping points. Like when we say ‘Cronulla’. to journalist Chloe Hooper’s award-winning book The Tall Man, based on the circumstances surrounding Mulrunji’s This powerful four-channel work is of crucial importance to death, the artist’s Tall Man is an idea of Wotton as the Tall Australia. Tall Man tells the story of the 2004 Palm Island Man, the man that rose up in protest and anger. riots that occurred in response to the death in custody of Cameron Doomadgee, the 147th Aboriginal person to die Tall Man captures the terror, the hysteria, the rage – those in custody since 1990. The events of the day of the riot powerful emotions that are behind the headlines. (For more are told through combining footage from mobile phones information about both Palm Island and Lex Wotton, see and video cameras, much of it filmed by members of the SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 the Appendix.) Palm Island police force, which he then edits together with archival news footage. Tall Man employs footage that was Vernon Ah Kee was born in 1967 in Innisfail, Queensland, initially used during the trial of Lex Wotton, the ‘tall man’ and is a member of the Kuku Yalandji, Waanji, Yidinji and of the title, and which contributed to his conviction and Gugu Yimithirr peoples. One of Australia’s most influential imprisonment on charges of inciting a riot. contemporary artists, the diversity of his practice reflects the complexity of the contemporary Indigenous experience. ‘We are an oppressed people!’ – Lex Wotton’s mother 22 VERNON AH KEE WITH HETTI PERKINS
Vernon redeploys this imagery to tell a different story. On the walls surrounding this installation is an assortment Through editing together numerous perspectives of the of text works, which engage the issues at hand in the ways public announcement of the coroner’s report, the outraged made familiar in Ah Kee’s earlier works: they are overtly reactions of the crowd, Wotton’s mother’s impassioned political as a whole, while politicising the everyday. hang pleas, and the confrontation between locals and police, ten for instance, an institutional reference to popular surf the artist builds a narrative of a community taking a stand culture and surf fashion, starts to hint at more sinister un- against injustice. dercurrents when read in conjunction with other texts such as yourdutyistoaccommodateme/mydutyistotolerateyou. CANTCHANT, INSTALLATION (2009) While we/grew/here is a direct reference to the chanting of An invitation to audiences to perceive the black man’s the Cronulla rioters, Vernon appropriates it, as a correction world differently is developed dramatically in the installa- to some fundamental misconception. The sound of gunfire tion cantchant. Created for Brisbane’s Institute of Modern in the neighbouring room, followed shortly by the thump- Art in 2007, the work was also selected for the 2009 Venice ing rhythm of the Warumpi Band’s 1990s Aboriginal Rock Biennale. cantchant confronts white Australian beach classic Stompin Ground, coalesce to generate a sense of culture in the wake of the 2005 Cronulla Riots. The title is a apprehension. sardonic reference to the chanting of (mostly white) rioters: ‘we grew here, you flew here’, which Vernon regards as an The video work is integral to how the larger installation is insincere excuse for racial violence. cantchant can be seen read. It consists of three separate but interrelated scenes: as challenging white Australian beach ideology by making the bush scene, the beach scene and the surfing flick. visible the invisibility of Aboriginal sovereignty. As a looped sequence, there is no clear beginning and end. The bush scene starts with a picturesque but largely The work has three components: an installation of custom- unremarkable bush landscape – not desert interior and made surfboards bearing North Queensland Indigenous not coastal fringe, but possibly a hinterland. Nothing much rainforest shield designs, a body of surrounding text works appears to be happening – it just is. In a flash we are and a ‘surf’ video that contains three scenes. The boards, up-close to a surfboard, entangled in rusted, barbed wire, hung vertically with the traditional designs facing the audi- suspended in the air. Next, another surfboard also bound ence as they enter the gallery space, are arranged in a with barbed wire to a large burnt-out tree stump. Suddenly, formation that temporarily transforms them into warriors the explosion of a gun, then the impact on the surfboard: painted and prepared for battle; the viewers potentially are a gaping hole blown into its pale, fragile body. The board SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 the enemy. Once past the warring configuration, the audi- recoils in the air, unable to fly loose of its tether. The other ence are confronted by something of a human presence board is also fired upon, its nose blown away. It also recoils protected behind and within the underside of the boards. against the shot but is pulled up fast against its binding. What is present, however, are severely cropped large-scale We see the ominous sight of the barrel – long, slender, and portraits, most rendering a large single eye as the dominant black, but we see no hand and no obvious clue as to who feature, staring intensely, casting an ‘evil-eye’ on those who the perpetrator might be. Finally the violence is over and have intruded. we are privy to the disposal of the victim; a bound and 23 shattered board is tossed into a creek to let nature take its they capture what Vernon describes as ‘the gaze’ – a course and wash away the remains. steely look of emotion, persistence, endurance and protest. Unheard stories are given a voice in this powerful This scene can be interpreted as a metaphor for colonial exhibition. violence against Aboriginal people – a lynching, a massacre site in Australian history, perhaps representing Transforming Tindale is a thought-provoking journey Australia’s repressed memory. While the metaphor into what it means to Aboriginal people and its place in appears appropriate, what our artist has achieved is far Queensland’s history. more challenging. At first glance the whiteness of the surfboard is unremarkable, until it is seen in contrast to the Hetti has the appropriate closing observation of this blackness of the tree limb from which it hangs. Suddenly powerful and confronting episode: the board is more than the stock-standard, off-the-shelf variety; it is a white board and by extension a white body. Aboriginal people are producing great works of exceptional Correspondingly, the sleek black shaft of the rifle can be beauty and meaning, often from stories of great cruelty. read as being attached to a black body. Through the imagination of our Aboriginal artists, a better future can be imagined for the whole country. The tables are turned in a way which unsettles the comfort of even the most sympathetic audience. The idea of black Appendix violence against white Australia is not a concept readily toyed with. • The Coniston Massacre: 1928 marked the end of a long, bloody and shameful history of killings and massacres TRANSFORMING TINDALE, PHOTOGRAPHIC of Aboriginal people that had occurred throughout the EXHIBITION (2012) country since the start of British colonisation in 1788. In 1928 Central Australia experienced a severe drought Vernon argues through his art that white people can only that reduced the ground water. The original owners of see Aboriginal people as fully human if the context is the land did what they had done for thousands of years Western. He has stripped away any romantic notions of and gravitated to their ancient water sources, mainly in ‘the noble savage’ in his series of large-scale portraits of the form of soaks. For the pastoralists, the lack of water family members, drawn as a response to the anthropologist came at a crucial time as they were carving out vast Norman Tindale’s genealogy expeditions in the 1930s. tracts of land to run cattle. This installation of thirteen sensitively drawn charcoal Conflicts between Aboriginal people and white settlers portraits of family, relatives and ancestors from Palm Island, resulted. The Aboriginal people were angry as they Queensland, were inspired by the photographs of Norman watched their waterholes being destroyed by cattle, Tindale, who documented Aboriginal people from all over fences being erected and white men taking their women Australia from the 1920s to the 1960s. While a valuable as wives or servants. Their law, customs and traditions record, particularly of the connection of Aboriginal peoples were being violated. to specific lands, the photographs also infer a degree of The new pastoralists became increasingly agitated by underlying racism present in Australian society, a subject the ‘cheeky’ Aborigines. In these parts, not only had regularly addressed in Vernon’s drawings and text works. they had become a nuisance, but they were competing with their cattle for the precious water. Tindale’s detached, formal portraits (which include images On Coniston Station, just north of what is today of the artist’s own great-grandfather and grandfather), Yuendumu, dingo trapper Fred Brooks made camp at identified by number rather than name, were often a soak he shared with around twenty Warlpiri people. cropped so that the heads appeared as ‘mugshots’ rather After taking liberties with one of the women, he was than dignified studies. This is reflected in the off-centre murdered by her husband, the now notorious Bullfrog. composition of Vernon’s drawings. The artist’s cool, Led by Mounted Constable William Murray, a series of precise drawing style is also suggestive of the ways that reprisal killings resulted in the slaughter of around 100 art (and especially photography) is able to aestheticise or Aboriginal people. The devastating impact of these manipulate the truth of situations, although the piercing killings forced the owners of the land to move away, too gazes of the subjects provide a subtle yet deliberate terrified and grief-stricken to move back. measure of directness and emotional intensity. The pastoralists appeared to have won, but concerned missionaries generated huge media interest and a The facial resemblances in these compelling portraits federal enquiry was set up. This inquiry heard that thirty- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 suggest an ongoing familial connection, reaffirming the one people were shot, although this is heavily disputed, artist’s place within the group and anchoring his position in but the most disturbing element of the findings was the world. This genealogical study of the men in Vernon’s ‘killing of all blacks to be justified’. The Indigenous family is a visual record of the solidarity, continuity people from the area were excluded from the inquiry. and endurance of a single family and, by extension, of The events of that three-month period are still fresh Aboriginal culture. He first saw these photographs, in in the minds of the Warlpiri, Anmatjere, Kaytete and miniature, in his grandmother’s purse. Like his drawings, Allyawar people today. 24 • Diaspora: A diaspora (from Greek ‘scattering, The four panels were intended to show that Aboriginal dispersion’) is a scattered population with a common people and Europeans were equal before the law. The origin in a smaller geographic area. Diaspora can also top two panels show them mixing in harmony; the lower refer to the movement of the population from its original two panels show their receiving the same punishment, homeland. Diaspora has come to refer particularly to the death penalty, for murder. In fact, although many historical mass dispersions of an involuntary nature, Aboriginal people were executed in Tasmania, no white such as the expulsion of Jews from Europe, the African person was ever charged, let alone convicted and Transatlantic slave trade, the Meskhetian Turks in 1945, hanged. the southern Chinese during the Coolie slave trade • The Black Line: During the 1820s, white settlers or the century-long exile of the Messenians under poured into what was then known as Van Diemen’s Spartan rule. Recently, scholars have distinguished Land, bringing vast numbers of sheep and rapidly between different kinds of diaspora based on their taking up the land. Aboriginal resistance hardened. The causes, such as imperialism, trade or labor migrations, colony fell into a state of panic as attacks and murders or by the kind of social coherence within the diaspora became more and more frequent. community and its ties to the ancestral lands. Some In 1828, Governor Arthur proclaimed martial law – in diaspora communities maintain strong political ties with effect, a declaration of war. Soldiers had the right to their homeland. Other qualities that may be typical of arrest or shoot on site any Aboriginal found in the many diasporas are thoughts of return, relationships settled district (the central and south-east areas of the with other communities in the diaspora, and lack of full island). The Indigenous Tasmanians adopted guerrilla assimilation into the host country. tactics, striking with fire and spear when least expected • The Northern Territory Intervention: The Northern and vanishing into the forests, terrorising the small, Territory National Emergency Response (also referred to scattered and vulnerable European populations. as ‘the intervention’) was a package of changes to wel- Vigilante gangs of soldiers and settlers avenged fare provision, law enforcement, land tenure and other Aboriginal attacks by killing men, women and children. measures. On 21 June 2007, the Australian Government In 1830 a military operation known as the ‘Black Line’ announced a ‘national emergency response to protect was launched against the Aboriginal people remaining Aboriginal children in the Northern Territory’ from sexual in the settled districts. Every able-bodied male colonist abuse and family violence. This has become known as convict or free, was to form a human chain across the the ‘NT intervention’ or the ‘Emergency Response’. The settled districts, moving for three weeks south and east catalyst for the measures was the release of Report in a pincer movement until the people were cornered of the Northern Territory Board of Inquiry into the on the Tasman Peninsula. The Black Line captured only Protection of Aboriginal Children from Sexual Abuse, ti- an old man and a boy but succeeded in clearing the tled ‘Little Children are Sacred’. In the following months remaining Aboriginal people out of the area. the emergency announcements were developed and Between 1829 and 1834, George Augustus Robinson – formalised into a package of Commonwealth legisla- the ‘Conciliator’ – travelled through Tasmania, gathering tion which was passed by the federal Parliament and the Aboriginal people who were still alive. He did this received Royal Assent on the 17 August 2007. with the approval of the colonial government. Robinson The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission thought he was saving the people – he wanted them to welcomed the Australian Government’s announcements become Christians and to abandon their culture. 135 to act to protect the rights of Indigenous women and survivors from the mainland were sent to Wybalenna, a children in the Northern Territory. In doing so, the bleak settlement on Flinders Island in Bass Strait. Commission urged the government and Parliament to • Flinders Island: On Flinders Island the people were to adopt an approach that is consistent with Australia’s be ‘civilised’ and ‘Christianised’. However, they were international human rights obligations and particularly unused to living in overcrowded European houses, were with the Racial Discrimination Act 1975. forbidden to practise their old ways and were homesick • The 1830 Tasmanian Governor’s Proclamation: In for their lost country. Many died of respiratory disease, 1830, small ‘proclamation boards’ containing picto- poor food and despair. Robinson left for Victoria before grams began appearing on trees in Van Diemen’s Land. he could see the terrible consequences of his policy. They were designed to show that Aboriginal people and In 1847, the forty-seven survivors of Wybalenna were Europeans were equal before the law. Based on draw- transferred to Oyster Cove near Hobart. They were ings by the Surveyor General George Frankland (1800– the only known group of ‘tribal’ people remaining. The 1838), they underscored the proclamations of 1828 by deaths continued, however. A few managed to survive Lieutenant Governor George Arthur (1784–1854), in which by leaving the reserve. Truganini, the last of this group SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 he declared martial law and banned Aboriginal people and for many years regarded as the ‘last Tasmanian’, from entering settled areas. Described by nineteenthth- died in 1876. By this time, however, a vigorous century historian James Bonwick as ‘the expedition Aboriginal community had established itself in the Bass against the Aborigines on the principle of the Fine Arts’, Strait islands. They were descended from people who the boards could be likened to a comic strip in appear- had slipped through the government net. ance. Arthur’s proclamation came amidst increasing • Lex Wotton was a two-time councillor on the Palm violence between settlers and Aboriginal people. Island Aboriginal Shire Council when Cameron 25 Doomadgee died in custody. Wotton led approximately 1000 people in the Palm Island Riots. Wotton was LIST OF ARTWORKS EPISODE 2 arrested, but on his release he was hailed as a hero by many residents of Palm Island. He continued to act as a 1. Warwick Thornton: before 1840, 2008, leader and even ran for mayor of the North Queensland • Samson and Delilah, installation. Medium: Aboriginal community. Approximately four years after 2009. Medium: film. found chair, burnt the riot, Wotton was found guilty of inciting a riot and • Mother Courage tree sticks. sentenced to seven years in prison. installation, 2012 • The Chase, 2008. On Friday 19 November 2004, 36-year-old Palm Island • Debil-Debil, 2013 Medium: chaise resident Cameron Doomadgee was arrested for public photographic series. lounge, burnt tee drunkenness and died in police custody an hour • Stranded spear legs, pins. later. The coroner’s report was released on Friday 26 installation. Medium: • Lost World November, and read to a community meeting. After 3D digital video: collection: The hearing that Doomadgee had died from a ruptured liver colour, sound Traveller, 2013. in the scuffle at the island’s watch-house, a succession 2. Marlene Rubuntja, Medium: HDMI of angry young Aboriginal men spoke to the crowd and Loretta Banks: Little video projection, encouraged immediate action be taken against the Dingi, 2012. Medium: colour, sound. police. Doomadgee’s death was repeatedly branded animated film. • Locus, 2006, ‘cold-blooded murder’. Wotton joined 1000 other people 3. John Glover: Mills installation. Medium: in a riot on Palm Island that resulted in the police station, Plains, Ben Lomond tea-tree sticks, the courthouse and the home of the officer-in-charge and Ben Nevis in cuttlefish, written being burned down. In an interview with The Courier- the distance, 1836. pages. Mail, Wotton justified the riot, saying that the residents Medium: oil painting. 6. Vernon Ah Kee: did not believe the death was an accident and the 4. Unknown artist: • Tall Man, 2010, residents had set fire to the police station because they Governor Arthur’s four-channel video had been ‘crying out for help’ and no-one had listened. Proclamation to the installation. Additionally, Wotton sought an investigation by the Crime Aboriginal People, • cantchant, 2006 and Misconduct Commission (CMC) and wanted the c.1830. Medium: oil installation. government to agree to move all police from the island. on Huon pine board; • Annie Ah Sam Before his Courier-Mail newspaper interview was 35.5 x 22.6cm (A&B), 2008, delivered to the public and in response to Wotton’s 5. Julie Gough: included in the actions during the riot, police entered Wotton’s home • The Consequence Transforming at 4.45am Saturday and used a stun gun on the back of Chance, Tindale exhibition, of his leg to arrest him, all the time pointing a rifle at installation, 2011. 2012. Medium: his fifteen-year-old daughter’s head as she sat on a Medium: calico, pastel, charcoal and bedroom floor. At the time, Wotton became one of pine, cardboard, synthetic polymer seventeen defendants, all males, charged in the Palm lights. paint on canvas. Island riots and was alleged to be the riot ringleader. At • She was sold for • neither pride nor the Townsville Magistrate Court on 29 November, Lex one guinea, 2007. courage, 2006, Patrick Wotton was charged with ‘arson (two counts), Medium: book, included in the serious assault on police (three counts), wilful damage wooden shelf, Transforming and riot causing damage’. For further information, see beads, cloth. Tindale exhibition,
26 Images: 24
HETTI PERKINS WITH TJANPI DESERT WEAVERS
Episode Three »»REMOTE ART CENTRES – THE WESTERN DESERT LOVE AND ART AND CULTURE – LONGING TJUKURRPA
‘This country is in our DNA. Its essence is something we Located across the country, representing and nurturing carry with us always, no matter where our lives may lead. artists, art centres play a vital role in rebuilding culture and Art … is a way of finding our way home.’ – Hetti Perkins community. In his essay ‘Art history in remote Aboriginal areas’, Darren Jorgenson, Professor of Art History at the As in episodes one and two, Hetti Perkins acquaints us University of Western Australia, observes: with a little more of her family history and, in this episode, the connection between art and family is particularly strong: Remote art centres offer dynamic opportunities for doing we are now located in the township of Alice Springs, or twenty-first century art history. Founded in an era of politi- Mbantwe, where Hetti’s father Charlie Perkins was born at cal self-determination for remote Aboriginal people, these the old Telegraph Station on the outskirts of ‘Alice’, as it centres aspire to create an opportunity for the expression is often affectionately named. Charlie’s birthplace was the of a cultural difference whose origins precede the invasion site of a ‘half-caste’ children’s home – a degrading and yet and colonisation of Australia. Art centres and their archives commonplace term for children of mixed-race ancestry – present an opportunity to work through the legacies of established in 1915 and finally closed in 1960. It is known colonialism in the art history of remote Australian Aboriginal to many of the descendants of those children as ‘The artists. Bungalow’. In other words, these communities, recording their stories, Hetti’s father said that he was ‘born into a divided replicated often over thousands of kilometres, speak to us SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 atmosphere’ and, for most of the twentieth century, Alice all of an ancient bond with country, which is now also tak- Springs was a divided town by law. Not only blacks and ing its place in the international art world. Art is thus a way whites were kept separate, but many Aboriginal families of understanding the historical events that have shaped the were torn apart under the guise of ‘assimilation’. (See lives today of Indigenous Australians, and for many artists Appendix.) – and for our presenter, Hetti – art is a way of celebrating, and even ‘finding our way home’. Ensuring a new sense of independence, these centres are like the branches of 27 Warakurna has a long history of artistic expression. In March 2005, the Art Centre studio was opened amid much enthusiasm and excitement. The Art Centre is fully owned and governed by Aboriginal people and provides services to artists living in and visiting Warakurna and the nearby community of Wanarn.
Warakurna Artists is an energetic, creative and happy place where men and women, young and old, paint and share Tjukurrpa (traditional law, culture and ancestral tales) and contemporary stories. Passing on these important stories to young people is a critical means of keeping culture vital WARAKURNA ARTISTS and strong. The Art Centre plays an important role in the community, providing cultural and social benefits in addi- tion to economic returns. an ancient tree, recording and preserving a culture firmly For the old people of the local aged care facility in nearby rooted in country, with its tendrils coursing throughout the Wanarn, art is a way of returning home to the place of their land and across the sea. birth, expressing their love and longing for a time and a place that lives on in their hearts. This art portrays the land- scape before the boundary riders tore through the heart of »»WARAKURNA AND their country. (See Appendix.) WANARN ARTISTS MYRA COOK – PAINTER
At the first artists’ centres we visit – the remote communi- Myra Cook was born at Kartjinguku Creek, near Warakurna ties of Warakurna and Wanarn – painting, for the elderly of in the Gibson Desert, Western Australia. She began to paint these areas, is the most cherished activity. with Warakurna Artists in mid 2005 and has rapidly become one its senior emerging artists. Myra Cook paints important Warakurna is situated on the Great Central Road in the Ngaanyatjarra stories from her mother’s and father’s coun- Ngaanyatjarra Lands of Western Australia, approximately try using synthetic polymer paint on canvas. 330 kilometres from Uluru near the border with the Northern Territory. The township of approximately 180 people is Warakurna’s premier artists also include Tommy Mitchell, nestled amongst the spectacular Rawlinson Ranges in the Tjapartji Bates, Carol Maayatja Golding, Peter Tjarluri Gibson Desert, close to the Giles Meteorological Weather Lewis, Tjunka Lewis and Rachel Yukultja Jennings. Most Station. began painting in 2005, with a few exceptions.
EUNICE PORTER – WARAKURNA ARTISTS SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
28 NUCLEAR TESTING AND DISPOSSESSION – MARALINGA – TRIUMPH OUT OF TRAGEDY
In the 1960s, a series of British nuclear tests were carried out with the authorisation and involvement of the Australian gov- ernment at the place known as Maralinga, an event which saw the forced expulsion from their lands of the Anangu– Pitjantjatjara people. Those who weren’t left behind became refugees in their own country. But the love of the Anangu people for their country and their culture endured, and today their art centres play a vital role in maintaining the cultural lifelines that flow through central Australia.
»»TJALA ARTS, AMATA: OUR ART, OUR BUSINESS
At the western end of the Musgrave Ranges of South Australia lies the Aboriginal community of Amata. Tjala Artists is its beating heart, into which the storylines and songlines from the surrounding lands flow and emerge in HECTOR BURTON – TJALA ARTS myriad paintings of Tjukurrpa. The principle ‘Our Art, Our Business’ is at the kernel of the Arts Centre model that has emerged in the Central Desert Region. In Hetti’s interview with the Art Centre chairman, Mr Frank Young, he explains the mission statement of this artists’ community: be shared in the artworks, yet always an ‘inside’ (or private) story that must be retained by the community for their use The stories of long ago are being brought to life for future only. In this way, only the basics of traditional beliefs are generations. When they (the artists) put them on canvas described in these works, so as to preserve culture. As and tell stories that they’ve learnt from their ancestors, they Hetti tells us, ‘this art is so much more than just a pretty are … painting for the future. Children come into the Centre picture to go with the sofa!’. to paint and the old people show them how … When old people pass on, the younger generation take up the stories. KUNMANARA RILEY AND KATANARI TJILYA, AMATA This keeps the culture strong and the story alive for them … ARTISTS AT TJALA ARTS
THE PUNU MOTIF AND ‘SECRET BUSINESS’ Kunmanara and Katanari are from Amata and are skilled painters and weavers. Their vibrantly beautiful Punu (2011), The philosophy of Our Art, Our Business is embodied in the featured in this episode, is acrylic on canvas. tree or punu motif, and we are seeing in these works a new way of communicating in contemporary art. Once again, HECTOR TJUPURU BURTON AT TJALA ARTS – Frank Young explains the significance of this motif: AND THE ‘SECRET BUSINESS’
The whitefella family tree is the exact opposite of how Hector Burton is another leading Amata artist. His work has Anangu people think of the family tree. I have seen the white- been shown in exhibitions since 2003 in several cities in fella family tree drawing with the ancestors at the top where Australia and overseas. His first solo exhibition was held in the leaves are. Our way – Anangu way – the ancestors are Melbourne in 2004. Examples of his paintings are held in the the roots. Great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers are National Gallery of Victoria, the Art Gallery of South Australia, the roots. Us middle ones – the men and women who made the Art Gallery of New South Wales, and Flinders University. these paintings – we are the trunk of the tree. The young fellas and young women, the future of our families are the Hector Burton started painting in 2002. Painting among leaves on the trees, and the leaves that are yet to be seen. Pitjantjatjara was originally done by women only. Men did
not join the women until several years later, because they SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 However some stories, Mr Young informs us, are not for were afraid of revealing too much spiritual knowledge. revelation to the world. The art community at Amata is Hector Burton was one of the first men at Amata to begin strongly conservative about spiritual knowledge, which painting; the company changed its name to Tjala Arts in in Western Desert cultures is meant to be kept secret. Mr 2004, after several other men joined him. Young uses the metaphor of the tree, with its trunk and leaves showing yet its roots hidden underground, to il- To keep the meanings of his paintings hidden, Hector lustrate that there is an ‘outside’ (or public) story that can Burton uses dotting and other techniques to disguise 29 To access the catalogue and see these exquisite ex- amples of the work of Western Desert artists, see
»»THE TJANPI DESERT WEAVERS
‘Art is a beautiful way to teach our children.’ – Tjanpi artist HECTOR BURTON – TJALA ARTS In more than twenty small desert communities covering an area of 350,000 square kilometres where the borders of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory sacred figures and ancient symbols. He is a strong support- converge, hundreds of women are harvesting and weaving er of maintaining strict forms of secrecy when it comes to local grasses to make sculptural works that are recognised art produced in his community. He is now a board member nationally and internationally. While the contemporary paint- of Tjala Arts and often coordinates projects and exhibitions ing movement offers a way of reinventing cultural traditions, with the other artists. for the Tjanpi (meaning grass) Desert Weavers, creating woven sculptural forms with native grasses is a new form of His early paintings represent legends from his family’s expressing Tjukurrpa and the events of everyday life. Dreaming. They also show strong Christian influences; he was taught by Presbyterian missionaries when he was growing up at Ernabella and he mixed these beliefs with his family’s Dreaming. When he was older he was ordained as a minister and is now a senior member of the Church on the Anangu–Pitjantjatjara–Yankunytjatjara lands.
Since the latter part of 2011, he and several other men from Amata have led a project to change the subject of their artists’ work. Instead of depicting sacred Dreaming knowl- edge, he and the other board members of Tjala Arts have encouraged their artists to paint about other things (such as the landscape or wildlife). He and the other leaders decided that the popularity of Western Desert art had resulted in people asking too many questions about their traditional NYURPAYA KAIKA – TJANPI DESERT WEAVERS designs and too much secret knowledge being revealed. The centre’s first exhibition under this project was held in March 2012 in Alice Springs. The exhibition was called Since 1995, the Tjanpi Desert Weavers have been making Punu-Nguru (From the Trees) and its paintings depicted woven forms ranging from classic baskets to quirky and traditional designs of trees from the artists’ home countries. colourful objects such as giant lizards, dogs, birds, teapots and even life-sized people, which are often decorated with emu feathers and painted seed pods. But the Tjanpi group is probably best known for its giant replica of a Toyota 4WD, which in 2005 won first prize in the Telstra National Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Art Award.
The judges of the prestigious Indigenous art award that year, Doug Hall, director of the Queensland Art Gallery, and visual artist Destiny Deacon, summed up the common consensus to the win when they said: SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014
Tjanpi Grass Toyota is a wonderfully witty, well-crafted and relevant work. In one sense it takes us to the heart of community life and its tradition of weaving from grass that belongs to the women’s country. On the other hand, this work not only recognises but also celebrates the four-wheel NYURPAYA KAIKA – TJANPI WEAVERS drive as central to desert living for Aboriginal people. 30 The Toyota certainly dominates the room in Darwin’s Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. The cura- tor of Aboriginal Art and Material Culture, Christiane Keller, says it is one of the gallery’s most popular pieces. ‘Visitors don’t need an explanation for this work of Aboriginal art,’ she says. ‘Visitors all smile or laugh and are amazed about the size, the technique and the presence of it.’
This ‘mobile arts centre’ services over 400 artists in over twenty remote desert communities and was devised to follow the pattern of community life – travelling, gathering, singing and dancing, of being ‘out bush’ in country. BRIAN ROBINSON
At its core, Tjanpi is about family and community. Not only do women earn money from selling their fibre work but while out collecting grass they take time to hunt, gather »» THE TORRES STRAIT food, visit sacred sites and teach their children about coun- ISLANDS: HOME TO A try. Tjanpi work is work that does more than accommo- dates social and cultural obligations – it encourages them. UNIQUE AND DYNAMIC The Tjanpi family is a wide-reaching network of mothers, CULTURAL TRADITION daughters, aunties, sisters and grandmothers whose shared stories, skills and experiences are the bloodline of the desert weaving phenomenon. The Torres Strait Islands – our next stop – spread from the northernmost tip of Queensland to Papua New Guinea: a Tjanpi’s philosophy is to keep culture strong, maintain links narrow passageway of water and treacherous reef. These with country, and provide meaningful employment to the islands are home to a unique culture and dynamic cultural keepers and teachers of desert weaving. Some of the art- tradition. Long before the white man came, the Islanders ists working at Tjala Arts are also skilled weavers. were the Vikings of the Torres Strait. A seafaring Indigenous people, they were proud and dignified, deriving their spiritu- When Hetti visits the Tjanpi women, they are engaged in ality from ancestral ties to the land, the sea and the sky. creating an installation of The Seven Sisters Dreaming story, a myth that is shared by communities over thousands BRIAN ROBINSON – ARTIST OF TECHNICAL AND of kilometers. It is, in essence, a love story, but the eternal CREATIVE VIRTUOSITY pursuit of the sisters by Awati, a man, who is embodied as a tree or a rock-hole, is re-enacted every morning before Brian Robinson grew up on Thursday Island and now lives day-break when the constellation known as The Pleiades in Cairns; he has carved a distinctive presence in the re- rise as a constant reminder of this ancient story of longing markably talented generation of contemporary Torres Strait written in the heavens. (For a fuller account of this story, Islander artists. His graphic prints and contemporary sculp- see the Appendix.) tures read as episodes in an intriguing narrative, revealing a strong tradition of storytelling within this community. He For a detailed series of photographs of the Tjanpi Desert has deep roots in this country with its strong multicultural Weavers’ works, see
A PLETHORA OF ARTISTIC INSPIRATIONS
In his conversations with Hetti, Brian reflects on the myriad of influences that have inspired his work. Attending mass every Sunday in the local Roman Catholic church drew his attention to the stained glass, statuary and ceremonial practices that surrounded him and that he references in his
linocuts. Building upon this, his love of Western art his- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 tory and the great works of Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci sees images portrayed in the great tradition of the Renaissance frescoes that have been recast with traditional characters from the Torres Strait Islands. All are unexpect- edly juxtaposed with superheroes and cartoon figures recognised across the globe. Heroic mythological and BRIAN ROBINSON god-like figures are present – in particular, a recurring male 31 wearing a turtle-shell mask. This is a cultural reference to AUGUST 23 1898 – TODAY I COLLECTED WITH MUCH the traditions of Thursday Island ceremonial practices, in ZEAL, THROUGH THE BARTER AND EXCHANGE OF which sorcerers wore these elaborate masks to conceal GIFTS, ANCIENT ARTEFACTS BELONGING TO A RACE OF their identity. INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS KNOWN AS TORRES STRAIT ISLANDERS. WOODEN MASKS, PEARL SHELL PENDANTS, STRAIT PROTEAN SERIES: AS THE RAINS FELL AND SMOKING PIPES, DANCE OBJECTS, AND A STRANGE THE SEAS ROSE, 2011: LINOCUT DEVICE CALLED A USB FLASH DRIVE, WERE AMONG THE ITEMS OBTAINED. A.C. HADDON, 2012: ETCHING IN This work is part of a larger series of intricate graphic THREE COLOURS prints. Set within compelling visual puzzles intertwined with organic patterns, the encounters between those contest- This three-colour etching on cream coloured paper depicts ing cultural traditions are told in this work. Like an arcane a collection of artefacts, some with labels attached. The manuscript, Strait Protean charts a course imbued with the artefacts include wooden masks, pearl shell pendants, customs and mythology of the Torres Strait Island people, smoking pipes, a feathered dance object, a technical draw- also referencing classical art and pop-culture icons, where ing instrument, pencils, and a USB flash drive. Handwritten forms and characters are co-opted into the spirit world of annotations pencilled below the etching name the lengthy the Islander’s imagination. title of this piece. This work references two anthropological expeditions that travelled through the Torres Strait in 1898. UP IN THE HEAVENS THE GODS CONTEMPLATE THEIR A.C. Haddon gathered more than 600 artefacts during his NEXT MOVE (SECRET CHARMS ARE GIVEN TO MAN), first visit in 1888–89, and on his more comprehensively 2012: LINOCUT equipped expedition of 1898 acquired a further 1250 objects, arguably the best documented collection from In Up in the heavens the gods contemplate their next move this period. Haddon was convinced that the hundreds of (secret charms are given to man), 2012, aspects of the sto- art objects collected had to be saved from almost certain ries of Ulysses are brought to life in a frenzied ocean, which destruction by the zealous Christian missionaries intent on features a boat caught in an octopus’ tentacles. In addi- obliterating the religious traditions and ceremonies of the tion, da Vinci’s flying machines are embodied in the paper islanders. His findings were published in his 1901 book planes that attempt to escape from their two-dimensional Head-hunters; Black, White and Brown. Hetti observes that counterparts on the surface. His mighty ancestral beings the ‘memory stick’ (the flash drive) inserted into the picture bear masks through which lighting comes as the conduit references the artist’s own heritage, which was ‘collected between men and gods, and there are multiple symbols of and catalogued’ so intensively in the nineteenth century. good and evil. … AND MEANWHILE BACK ON EARTH THE BLOOMS Local customs also make their presence felt in Brian’s CONTINUE TO FLOURISH, 2013: SCULPTURAL work. The weaving of palm leaves, for example, is a tradi- INSTALLATION tion that dates back centuries in the Torres Strait. In island communities where coconut palms grow, small decorative In 2013, Brian won the Western Australian Indigenous Art objects are plaited from fresh leaf. They are usually cre- Award with this work, in which he extends his references ated for amusement or as children’s playthings. However, to multiple planes and dimensions; objects, faces and on festive occasions they appear in great diversity, sus- symbols appear and disappear depending on the viewer’s pended from buildings and trees by leaf mid-ribs, as well position. What is clearly apparent, though, is a mighty as decorating food tables. This form of plaited decoration ancestral being – upon his face the mask through which is commonly made throughout Oceania, and was intro- lighting comes as the conduit between men and gods – duced into Torres Strait by South Sea Islanders. Invariably, who creates Triffid-like blooms that spread over the earth. they are inspired by the natural environment – and Brian is As colourful and celebratory as this artist’s work might inspired by them. first appear, there is an element of menace at the heart of this work. Adding to this feeling is a clockwork, mechani- THE WOVEN FISH: INSTALLATION, 2003 cal quality to the flowers, which gives the work a strange hyper-real aspect. Indeed, the fecundity of the blooms is al- Brian’s work has contributed significantly to the environs most overwhelming; it’s as though it might not be possible of Cairns, his home for two decades, through a number of to stop them from dividing and repeating. The eye is pulled major public art installations including the signature five into the centre of many of these blooms by small details stainless steel woven fish sculptures and fountain installed such as a minuscule Spiderman. Such elements (along with SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 on the Cairns Esplanade in 2003. The Woven Fish is one his highly polished spray technique) underpin the technical of the most memorable pieces of public art in Australia, virtuosity of this artist. referencing and celebrating local cultural traditions. One of Brian’s popular drypoint prints, also titled Woven Fish Brian’s work is crafted with a care that reflects his love and (2010) is a gentle tribute to this local decorative art. respect for island culture and also captures his childhood: a sense of discovery and wonderment at the marvels and mysteries of the many worlds we live in. 32 LOLA GREENO (R) WITH DAUGHTER VANESSA GREENO AND HETTI PERKINS
For more information on this multi-talented artist, see Indigenous people associated with making these exqui-
Born in 1946, Lola acknowledges her mother, the late Val Today, Lola Greeno actively mentors the younger genera- MacSween, as teaching her the closely guarded secret tion to ensure the continuation of this demanding artistic methods and relevant cultural knowledge of the Tasmanian practice, where preparation of materials and fastidious 33 attention to detail is paramount. With characteristic altruism and humility, she sees herself as predominantly …
… a Tasmanian Aboriginal woman interested in developing contemporary Aboriginal arts in Tasmania and providing opportunities for emerging artists to advance their skills and talent, to assist them to another level or to be recognised nationally so they can become involved with Indigenous brothers and sisters across the land … I am also highly fo- cused on my cultural relaying of stories of importance to my daughter and grandchildren so that my heritage is recorded. LOLA GREENO STRINGING SHELLS Necklace-making is an opportunity for women of all ages to get together and share stories, pass knowledge to younger generations and continue to affirm their culture. For more information on this traditional art and its history, The quiet persistence of this tradition is at odds with the see
There is a broad range of Tasmanian Indigenous art encom- passing painting, printmaking, basket and mat weaving, quilting, installation work, ceramics and canoe-making. All artists utilise local resources and traditional methods. Grasses, kelp, shells, ‘found objects’ of historical signifi- cance, attest to the vitality and inspiration of this resilient culture. For a detailed introduction to the art and artists of this region, see
GEORGE AUGUSTUS ROBINSON
LOLA GREENO STRINGING SHELLS George Augustus Robinson, ‘conciliator of Aborigines’, emigrated to Hobart in 1824 and became actively involved in religious and philanthropic work. Although tribal life had cide, relocation to Flinders Island, violence and introduced been utterly disrupted in the decades since European inva- diseases. sion, his missions reveal valuable evidence of Aboriginal languages, customs, life and sanguinary encounters with Auntie Dulcie Greeno, an elder of the Tasmanian Aboriginal the settlers. Those he persuaded into captivity – an option community, was born in 1923 on Cape Barren Island, one they had very little choice but to take at the time – were of the Furneaux Islands group. She lived for many years on sent to live unmolested at a permanent settlement at nearby Flinders Island, where she and her family continued Wybalenna on Flinders Island, over which Robinson took the Aboriginal traditions of mutton-birding and cray-fishing, and now lives in Launceston.
Auntie Dulcie has been making necklaces for more than forty years, but first began practising as a child. ‘My grand- mother used to do shell necklaces and a couple of my aunties’, she said in an interview for Australian Museums and Galleries Online. ‘We’d go round with them on the SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 beach and collect shells with them.’ Now her sister (Corrie Fullard), daughter (Betty Grace), daughter-in-law (Lola Greeno) and niece (Jeanette James) – all celebrated artists in their own right – make necklaces. Indeed, six of the eight necklaces currently in the National Museum’s collections were made by Auntie Dulcie and members of her family. REX AND LOLA GREENO
34 personal control in 1835. However, his attempt to replace the interconnected relationship that Aboriginal people (past Aboriginal culture with a nineteenth-century peasant life- and present) have with the natural world. The water carriers style was a dismal failure and mortality was severe. rest on pelts of wallaby and kangaroo which references the ‘Old People’s’ use of kangaroo skins for creating pillows for BENJAMIN DUTTERAU: THE CONCILIATION, 1840: sleeping on and cloaks that gave protection to the wearer PAINTING IN OILS from the elements.
This 1840 painting idealised the work of Robinson and was Lola contributed ‘nine cultural gifts’, many of which we are considered the first historical epic painting in the Australian shown on-screen: echidna quills strung into an ornament, a colonies; it now marks the long path towards legal ac- piece made of mutton-bird feathers, others made of mus- knowledgment of Tasmanians of Indigenous descent. sels and gumnuts, painted she-oak and gumnut chains. Each piece is dedicated to a different region, depicting a ‘THE POISONED CHALICE’ food source and cultural practice used for body adornment.
In 1835, Robinson was presented with a silver ‘loving cup’ Shells, feathers and fur: these are all talismans of Lola’s for his work in ‘conciliation’, following the failure of the infa- childhood, of time spent on Cape Barren Island. For a mous ‘Black Line’ – that military campaign intended to herd closer look at these works, see ‘The Devil We Know’, a Aboriginal people into a segregated enclave far from white paper by Gregory Lehman at
A DARK HISTORY IN A CONTEMPORARY SETTING: THE Truganini (c.1812–1876) was a woman widely considered ROBINSON CUP, INSTALLATION to be the last full-blood Aboriginal Tasmanian. Truganini is probably the best known Tasmanian Aboriginal women of This was not the end of the original Tasmanians or their sto- the colonial era. Born on Bruny Island in about 1812, just ry, of course. In 2011, Lola Greeno was invited by Damien nine years after British settlement was established further Quilliam, Curator of Contemporary Australian Art in the north on the mainland, by the time she had learned to col- newly redeveloped Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery lect food and make shell necklaces the colonial presence (QVMAG), to respond as an artist to this ‘poisoned chalice’ became not only intrusive but dangerous. She had experi- in a group installation symbolising the ‘colonial blindfold’ enced and witnessed violence, rape and brutalities inflicted of Tasmania’s history. ‘You couldn’t respond to that silver on her people. By the time she was seventeen she had lost cup in words’, she reflects, ‘without expletives!’ Her artistic her mother, sister, uncle and would-be partner to violent in- response, therefore, was: cidents involving sailors, sealers, soldiers and woodcutters. At this time, in 1829, the Black War was under way and … to turn my back on that name and that cup, and give Truganini was detained at the Missionary Bay station on my people something to eat and something to wear … like Bruny Island. Placed in the custody of Augustus Robinson, shellfish … possum skins, a piece made with mutton-bird a government-backed conciliator who set out to capture all feathers … independently living Tasmanian Aborigines, she remained for the rest of her life under the supervision of colonial offic- Lola was one of a series of Tasmanian Indigenous art- ers. Except for a short interlude, accompanying Robinson ists who collaborated in their response to ‘The Robinson in his travels to Port Phillip (now part of Melbourne), she Cup’ and the stories surrounding it; the exhibition at the spent twenty years imprisoned, with other Aboriginal QVMAG is a clear example of the ongoing traditions of the Tasmanians, on Flinders Island, and another seventeen Tasmanian Aboriginal people. The Tasmanian Aboriginal art- years in the Oyster Cove camp, south of Hobart. ists represented spent over a year considering and devel- oping their responses to this object, its original owner, and Details of her biography are sketchy, predominantly drawn the dark and bloody history associated with it. The works from the journals and papers of Robinson, with whom SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 represent not only their individual responses, but also how she was associated for ten turbulent years until her long this object, and the story it represents, has shaped their detention on Flinders Island. She was bright, intelligent and lives and community. energetic, known as one of the few Aboriginal Tasmanians rooted in pre-contact language and culture, who survived One of the elements we are shown in this installation is the beyond the middle of the nineteenth century. She was fre- nine water carriers, which acknowledges and pays homage quently depicted in paintings and photographs. to the nine Tasmanian Aboriginal nations, and references 35 From the position of her Aboriginal beliefs and spiritual- ity, Truganini feared that, when she died, her body would be cut into pieces for scientific or pseudo-scientific pur- poses, as it had already happened to another Aboriginal Tasmanian, William Lenne, in 1869. She also feared that her remains would be displayed in a museum for public view- ing. Truganini pleaded to colonial authorities for a respectful burial. Despite her pleas, her body was taken to the Hobart Museum and put on display until 1947 when, after public and Indigenous protests, it was locked in the Museum stores. Archival film footage informs us the humiliating fate of thousands of skulls and skeletons of the Tasmanian Aborigines – the Royal College of Surgeons in London amassed the largest collection in the world, which were studied and measured. Here was the final resting place for REX GREENO many of the ‘tribes and bands’ of Tasmania.
Finally, a hundred years after her death, the Palawa people REX GREENO AND THE ART OF MAKING ELEGANT – modern Aboriginal Tasmanians – succeeded in reclaim- BARK CANOES ing Truganini’s remains. On 30 April 1976, her remains were cremated at the Cornelian Bay crematorium, where Reviving and maintaining cultural traditions runs in the Rosalind Langford, former Secretary of the Aboriginal Greeno family and Rex, Lola’s husband and son of Auntie Information Service in Tasmania, delivered the oration. Dulcie Greeno, is playing his part in this history. In this The following morning, just seven days short of the cen- case, it’s more like resuscitating a craft that has lain dor- tenary of her death, Truganini’s ashes were scattered in mant for 160 years – canoe-making. the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, close to her birthplace and homeland. Rex Greeno was born on Flinders Island. From an early age he became involved in a number of cultural practices, See more at
These catamarans are ingeniously constructed of the bark of the tea-tree shrub, and when properly made are perfectly REX GREENO safe and are able to brave a rough sea. They cannot sink 36 continually refashions his body as his performing device. He tells Hetti of the essence of his art:
What I experience in the real world goes into the subcon- scious realm and that’s where things mix and reconfigure themselves: they will emerge as complete works or I will construct them … (my work) encompasses many times and many places.
For most of his childhood, Christian lead an itinerant life as the son of a military man. This, he reflects, impacted upon his ability to be ‘malleable, being able to adapt quickly’. This facility is now part of his identity, of ‘shape-shifting’. The Thompson family, despite its itinerant existence, never lost its connection to country and traditional Bidjara lan- guage, kept alive by the older generations in the extended family.
COUNTRY AND LANGUAGE CHRISTIAN THOMPSON PREPARING TO PHOTOGRAPH HIMSELF ‘Speaking in language’ is the Indigenous Australian way of describing the native tongue of a particular country or locality; Christian grew up speaking Bidjura, the Indigenous from the buoyancy of the material and the way in which language of the area around Barcaldine, central western they are constructed prevents them from upsetting. The Queensland. The continuing ability to speak language was catamaran is made of short pieces of the bark … which impressed upon him and his family by the elders, and for when collected in a mass are tied together with long grass. Christian, who lives for the most part in Europe, language is ‘a direct porthole back into home and country’. Models of the canoes were made for Europeans by Aboriginal people at the time, and rare examples survive in TREE OF KNOWLEDGE, 2012: PERFORMANCE ART museum collections including the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery in Hobart, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford and In Tree of Knowledge, a forty-minute performance piece, the British Museum in London. Christian sings in language, dances and employs evoca- tive dialogue, entering the room clad in multiple layers of Today, one of Rex’s large, elegant canoes is held in the fleecy hoodies which he removes one by one. As he does NGA collection. It is the confluence of form and function so, a recorded harsh mechanical voice delivers a series of that elevates his canoes beyond the utilitarian. ‘They are phrases with the repetitive ‘Aboriginal’ preceding them all. vessels,’ says Hetti, ‘for navigating a complex history’. The intention is to be amusing, to make the audience feel uncomfortable and confronted by the complexity of what it For a detailed essay on Rex Greeno’s work, see ‘An means to put the word ‘Aboriginal’ in front of another word, Ingenious Construction’ by Carol Cooper, Senior Curator, any other word – ‘Aboriginal dog, Aboriginal comb …’. The Collections Development at the NGA, Canberra, at work finishes with our artist dancing aggressively while
cultural references to his work is achieved while retaining, hair, symbolising an exchange of intimacy in an intergenera- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 at its kernel, his Bidjara culture. He creates art expres- tional connection. This strong connection is also illustrated sive of a continuing relationship to his people, country and in the video Desert Slippers, in which the family tradition culture. Subtle and sometimes more explicit references of inheritance is tendered explored. The title comes from a to the land and heritage of his community, the Bidjara cactus that has always played an important role in Bidjara people of the Kunja Nation from south-west Queensland, society: the desert slipper. Speaking in Bidjara, their bodies present themselves in the artist’s multidisciplinary prac- turned towards each other, the men are engrossed in acting tice. Christian shuns traditional art practices and instead out the same gestures repetitively. The non-Bidjara viewer, 37 the artist’s personal history and the way the dominant culture permits and shapes each ‘fifteen minutes of fame’.
Given the contemporary references and employment of twenty-first century technology in his work, the connections to Christian’s Indigenous inheritance are both spiritual and philosophical. He refers to these as:
… the ‘performativity’ of ceremony and also giving yourself up to a higher being, or stepping out of your own body – that, for me, is the transformative aspect of my work. It’s about ‘reincarnating’ myself as something that belongs to a different time and space …
CHRISTIAN THOMPSON WITH HETTI PERKINS … and Hetti assists in further clarifying Christian’s connec- tion to his culture:
In an often elliptical, even cryptic way, Christian’s art, in- who can’t understand what is being said, is nonetheless cluding film, photography, installation and performance cre- invited into this private space of communication and learn- ates a conceptual map of country and its use of vernacular ing between father and son. The artist explains that this and visual cues, becomes a secret language, a love-song to work follows on from earlier videos that similarly focused on his people and his country. Bidjara rituals, made visible by means of a Western visual language. Christian’s father, Gary, ritually offers the sweat In 2010, Christian became one of the inaugural Charlie of his body to his first-born son, reiterating the traditional Perkins Scholars at Oxford University, a scholarship call-and-response echoing that such personal transactions program established in 2009 in the memory of Dr Charlie have involved over countless generations. Perkins AO, the first Australian Indigenous man to graduate from university. Christian proceeded to infiltrate the estab- If we reconsider how Indigenous art has an often clear but lishment, imposing his unique cultural imprimatur on this sometimes more subtle political message, we will further venerated British icon. In the prestigious university’s Trinity appreciate these videos. Christian’s view is that they form a College Dining Hall, the notoriously conservative institution response to the increasingly conservative government poli- took down their historical paintings for the first time in 450 cies and, in particular, to the recent media coverage of dys- years. ‘They took down all of the paintings of a cardinal and function in Indigenous communities, something described a couple of prime ministers,’ says Christian. ‘It was such a by the artist as ‘Aboriginal man-bashing’. Choosing video break in tradition but also a high vote of confidence from because of its potential for direct and intense audience my college – it got people talking, which was great, and I engagement, Christian offers insight into Indigenous rituals think people said “why don’t we do this every year – there and notions of masculinity and father–child relationships in should be exhibitions in here all the time”.’ personal and challenging ways. WE BURY OUR OWN, 2012: PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES GATES OF TAMBO, 2004: PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES Christian’s doctoral research lead him to the Pitt- Christian’s use of fantastical costumes and disguises, Rivers Museum at Oxford and its collection of archival derived from landscape, history and cultural tradition, con- photographs, resulting in the We Bury Our Own series, struct layers of themes and meanings in his illusory works. a groundbreaking new body of work consisting of eight His aim is to surprise, amuse, challenge and confront his large photographic self-portraits and a video installation. audience with the complexities of identity. Here the once passive subject is replaced with an active protagonist and, as in many of his works, Christian uses his In the three four-foot square photographs from his Gates own body as an armature. of Tambo series, Christian poses as Andy Warhol, Tracey Moffatt and Rusty Peters (a Gija man from the Kimberley who The relationship between the archival photographs and took up painting at age sixty after a working life as a stock- those taken by Christian is in the monochrome palette, the man). In their embodiment of fame, recognition and cultural style of portraiture, the idea of decadence, the ornate and SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 heritage, these artists might be Thompson’s natural role- the transition from being anthropological images through to models. He plays them straight, casually, as if expressing an studio portraits. Here he sums up his goal in this work: affinity. But, especially as Moffatt, in profile, taking a photo- graph, wearing lipstick, he simultaneously becomes the fo- I was drawn to elements of opulence, ritual, homage, fragil- cus. As an Indigenous man, Christian knows that art is never ity, melancholy, strength and even a sense of play operating considered merely on its own merits, but also by reference to in the photographs. The simplicity of a monochrome and
38 sepia palette, the frayed delicate edges and the cracks on the surface like a dry desert floor that reminded me of the salt plains of my own traditional lands.
I wanted to generate an aura around this series, a medita- tive space that was focused on freeing oneself of hurt, employing crystals and other votive objects that emit fre- quencies that can heal, ward off negative energies, psychic attack, geopathic stress and electromagnetic fields, and, importantly, transmit ideas. I asked the photographs in the Pitt Rivers Museum to be catalysts and waited patiently to see what ideas and images would surface in the work, I think with surprising results. Perhaps this is what art is able to do, perform a ‘spiritual repatriation’ rather than a physical one, fragment the historical narrative and traverse time and NICOLE FORESHEW place to establish a new realm in the cosmos, set some- thing free, allow it to embody the past and be intrinsically connected to the present. logic of place: revolving around people occupying, own- HEAT, THREE-CHANNEL VIDEO, 2010 ing, seizing, developing, losing or transforming a space. Nicole’s grandfather is a traditional owner of Peak Hill in In his most recent series of videos and stills, Heat, Christian the Wiradjuri lands of central NSW and her projected work has again adopted the role of director over that of the actor reveals a rich collection of Aboriginal artefacts, including to capture the affective experience of the desert climate in eleven objects and one carved tree from Peak Hill. the Queensland outback, and more specifically, to evoke the sense of the arid summer heat of his childhood around Projected onto the façade of the Australian Museum of Barcaldine, the way the hot wind would lift the hair off Sydney, the artwork includes twenty friends and family the head and fan it in a way that was both seductive and members living in Sydney, Western Sydney and the Central simultaneously frightening. He reflects: ‘I love the mysti- West – ‘all Aboriginal women – who have impacted on my cism and the seductive cruelty of the desert, my home, understanding of what we call “place”,’ she says. Sydney and how it can be so illusive and alluring and potentially Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the project would remind life-threatening.’ Sydneysiders and visitors about the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture. ‘These projec- Christian Thompson’s art is expressive of a continuing tions are part of our Eora Journey program – we’re proud to relationship to his people, country and culture, using subtle be working alongside some great artists including Nicole and and sometimes more explicit references to the land and the program’s curator Hetti Perkins,’ she said. heritage of his community. Indigenous artists in the Australian and international com- And as our journey through the art and the country of this munity, as we have had the privilege to observe in this compelling and multi-talented variety of Indigenous artists series, continue to reconnect to and continue their relation- draws to a close, we have one last artist to see. ship with their Aboriginal identity. Dynamic and tensile, their artwork always looks at concepts of place and personal NICOLE FORESHEW AND ‘POSITIVELY POLITICAL’ histories and how they connect with that special element WORKS bound, as Hetti says, ‘in our DNA’, that connection to country. The human form is also integral to the public art of emerg- ing new media artist Nicole Foreshew, a descendant of the Appendix Wiradjuri nation. The Aboriginal concept of place, tracing personal histories and connections to communities and the • ‘Half-caste’: In Australia, the term ‘half-caste’ was features of women draped in cloth imbued with traces of widely used in the nineteenth and early twentieth-cen- mineral and plant specimens are bound in her art. tury British commonwealth laws to refer to the offspring of White colonists and the Aboriginal natives of the BORN IN DARKNESS BEFORE DAWN, 2013: continent. For example, the Aborigines Protection Act SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 ARCHITECTURAL PROJECTION of 1886 mentioned half-castes habitually associating with or living with an Aboriginal; while the Aborigines born in darkness before dawn is a muted sepia-rich archi- Amendments between 1934 and 1937 refer to it in vari- tectural still-image projection approximately three hours in ous terms, including as a person with less than quad- duration. The visual content ‘cloth’ is illuminated to empha- roon blood. Later literature, such as by Tindale, refers size the transition of space, as it is always moving between to it in terms of half, quadroon, octoroon and other the social relationships which are generated within the hybrids. 39 The term ‘half-caste’ was not merely a term of legal award wages, marrying without permission, eating in convenience. It became a term of common cultural dis- restaurants, entering a pub, swimming in a public pool course and appeared even in religious records. For ex- or having the right to vote. ample, John Harper notes from records of Woolmington In relation to the past administration of Aboriginal af- Christian mission that half-castes and anyone with any fairs, it should be recognised that Aboriginal people Aboriginal connection were considered ‘degraded as to have continuously resisted the imposition of much of divine things, almost on a level with a brute, in a state of this government legislation. The official records reflect moral unfitness for heaven’. this opposition and contain letters written by Aboriginal The term was immortalised in the Half-Caste Act, people seeking to recover their land, to receive the whereby the Australian government could seize such right to vote, to have their children returned, to receive children and forcibly remove them from their parents citizenship rights and so on. in order to, in theory, provide them with better homes • Boundary rider: A person employed to ride round the than those afforded typical Aborigines, where they can fences etc. of a cattle or sheep station and keep them grow up to work as domestic servants, and for social in good order. From the 1860s the boundary rider was a engineering. The removed children are known as Stolen person responsible for maintaining the outer fences on Generations. Other British Commonwealth Acts on half- a station, or a publicly owned vermin-proof fence (such castes and Aborigines enacted between 1909 and 1943 as the rabbit-proof fence). A passage in an 1885 edition were also in theory called Welfare Acts, depriving these of the newspaper Illustrated Australian News describes people of basic civil, political and economic rights and the boundary rider’s typical duties: making it illegal to enter public places such as pubs and The duties of a boundary rider for the most part consist government institutions, marry or meet relatives. in riding round the fences every day, seeing that they • ‘Assimilation’: Since the European invasion and until are all in good order, blocking up any panels that may very recently, government policy relating to Aboriginal be broken, putting out strangers (that is stock that have people has been designed and implemented by non- strayed on to the run), and, in fact, doing all that may Aboriginal people. The common justification for most pertain to keeping his master’s stock on his own land, policies for Aboriginal people was that they were ‘for and everybody’s else out of it … their own good’. There have been policies of protec- • Maralinga: British Nuclear tests at Maralinga occurred tion, assimilation, self-determination and reconciliation. between 1956 and 1963 at the Maralinga site, part of It is now clear that none of these policies have actually the Woomera Prohibited Area in South Australia and made the condition of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres about 800 kilometres north-west of Adelaide. A total of Strait Islander peoples any better than it was prior to seven nuclear tests were performed. The site was also the invasion. used for hundreds of minor trials, many of which were Power over Aboriginal people was allocated to the intended to investigate the effects of fire or non-nuclear states rather than to the federal government, each explosions on atomic weapons. state having its own ‘Aboriginal welfare board’. These boards’ policies were based on a belief that ‘protection’ The site was contaminated with radioactive materials and of Aboriginal people would lead to their ‘advancement’ an initial cleanup was attempted in 1967. The McClelland to the point where they would eventually fit into the Royal Commission, an examination of the effects of the white community. Protection and segregation policies tests, delivered its report in 1985, and found that significant were enforced until the 1940s, when they were replaced radiation hazards still existed at many of the Maralinga test with policies of assimilation and integration. Features areas. It recommended another cleanup, which was com- of the administration of the boards included the imple- pleted in 2000 at a cost of $108 million. Debate continued mentation of the assimilation policy, and, from the early over the safety of the site and the long-term health effects 1950s, the movement of Aboriginal people to Aboriginal on the traditional Aboriginal owners of the land and former Stations where they could be prepared for absorption personnel. In 1994, the Australian Government paid com- into the general community. pensation amounting to $13.5 million to the local Maralinga The policy of assimilation meant individual families were Tjarutja people. persuaded to share the life in the towns with whites. Earlier government policies had relocated Aboriginal The Maralinga tests were subject to extreme secrecy, but people from their homelands to reserves, known as by the late 1970s there was a marked change in how the stations or missions. The assimilation policy aimed at Australian media covered the British nuclear tests. Some breaking up these reserves and ‘encouraging’ people journalists investigated the subject and political scrutiny to give up seasonal and casual work, replacing this became more intense. In June 1993, New Scientist jour- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 with regular work for wages (which remained unequal). nalist Ian Anderson wrote an article titled ‘Britain’s dirty The stations were considered as ‘stepping-stones to deeds at Maralinga’ and several related articles. In 2007, civilisation’. While espousing the benefits of assimila- Maralinga: Australia’s Nuclear Waste Cover-up by Alan tion to Aboriginal people, the assimilation policy still Parkinson documented the unsuccessful clean-up at denied their basic rights, even in the 1960s. It stopped Maralinga. Popular songs about the Maralinga story have them from raising their own children, stopped freedom been written by Paul Kelly, Midnight Oil and Alistair Hulett. of movement, having access to education, receiving 40 • The story of The Seven Sisters Dreaming: The cultures of the desert communities vary greatly, and a number of different languages are spoken. But there are lengthy song cycles cutting across cultural boundaries that explain the journeys of the great ancestral beings. Here traditional belief in the Tjukurpa permeates life. One such story, ‘The Seven Sisters’, tells of a journey LIST OF ARTWORKS EPISODE 3 that begins in the deserts in Western Australia and extends through several different language areas to the 1. Kunmanara Riley, 5. Benjamin Dutterau: South Australian Pitjantjatjara country. The travels of Katanari Tjilya: Punu, The Conciliation, 1840. the seven sisters are sung at inma ceremonies, which 2011. Medium: acrylic Medium: oil painting. extend into the night. The story tells of seven young paint on canvas. 6. Lola Greeno: Shell women being pursued on a cross-country trek by a sly, 2. Hector Tjupuru necklaces, including lustful man named Wati Nyiru. In order to remain close Burton: Punu, 2011. maireener (rainbow to them, he adopted various disguises, such as a tree Medium: acrylic paint kelp) shells, brown rice or a bird. When the sisters hid in a cave, Wati Nyiru on canvas. shells and black crow appeared at the entrance, but the women were able to 3. Tjanpi Desert shells. escape through a tunnel. As the pursuit continued, Wati Weavers: Tjanpi 7. Rex Greeno: Nyiru’s anger grew, and finally he decided to make one Toyota, 2005. Medium: Tasmanian paperbark of the sisters sick through sorcery. When she died, the Desert grass, jute canoes other sisters took her up to the sky, and they all be- string, steel aviary 8. Selected Tasmanian came stars. That is why, in the night sky, we can see the mesh, found hub caps, artists, including Vicki seven stars of the seven sisters (the Pleiades) followed number-plates, steer- West, Lola Greeno, by Wati Nyiru (Orion). ing wheel, recycled Julie Gough: The • AC Haddon: Alfred Cort Haddon (1855–1940) was an wooden planks. Robinson Cup, installa- influential British anthropologist and ethnologist. Initially 4. Brian Robinson: tion (group exhibition), a biologist, he achieved his most notable fieldwork in • He ascended [sic.] 2011. Medium: shells, the Torres Strait Islands. He was invited by his university from the heavens with possum fur, gumnuts, to go to the Torres Strait Islands to study coral reefs and a plank of text, 2012. kangaroo pelts, kelp, marine zoology, and while thus engaged he first became Medium: linocut feathers. attracted to anthropology. On his return home he pub- printed in black ink. 9. Christian Bumbarra lished many papers dealing with the indigenous people, • Strait Protean series: Thompson: urging the importance of securing all possible informa- As the rains fell and • The Sixth Mile, 2006. tion about these and kindred peoples before they were the seas rose, 2011. Medium: digital me- overwhelmed by civilisation. In April 1898, the expedi- Medium: linocut. dia art. tion arrived at its field of work and spent over a year in • Dinghy Bio Ali, 2010, • Desert Slippers, the Torres Strait Islands, and Borneo, and brought home Medium: linocut. 2006. Medium: digital a large collection of ethnographical specimens, some of • The Woven Fish media art. which are now in the British Museum. Haddon was con- installation, 2003. • Tree of Knowledge, vinced that the hundreds of art objects collected had to Medium: stainless 2013. Medium: be saved from almost certain destruction by the zealous steel performance art, 40 Christian missionaries intent on obliterating the religious • Woven Fish, 2010. mins. traditions and ceremonies of the native islanders. Film Medium: drypoint, • Gates of Tambo, footage of ceremonial dances was also collected. His Charbonnel ink. 2004. Medium: pho- findings were published in his 1901 book Head-hunters, • August 23 1898 – tographic series Black, White and Brown. Today I collected with • We Bury Our Own, much zeal … 2012. 2010. Medium: pho- Medium: linocut. tographic/installation • … and meanwhile series. back on earth the • Heat, 2010. Medium: blooms continue three-channel video. to flourish, sculp- 10. Nicole Foreshew: tural installation born in darkness SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 2013. Medium: wood, before dawn, 2013, ar- plastic, steel, syn- chitectural projection. thetic polymer paint, feathers, plant fibre and shell.
41 THE CREATIVE TEAM
DIRECTOR STEVEN MCGREGOR, MURRAY LUI AND HETTI PERKINS »»HETTI PERKINS, WRITER/PRESENTER Steven started his career behind the camera and as an edi- Hetti Perkins is a member of the Eastern Arrernte and tor in the news department of Imparja Television. Apart from Kalkadoon Aboriginal communities. She is resident cura- when he was studying for his MA in drama directing at the tor at Bangarra Dance Theatre, creative director of the Australian Film, Television & Radio School, he has lived and Corroboree Sydney festival, and curatorial advisor to the worked in the Northern Territory all his life. City of Sydney on the Eora Journey: Recognition in the Public Domain project. »»BRIDGET IKIN, PRODUCER Hetti was an advisor to the 2008 Biennale of Sydney, on the selection panel for Australia’s representation at the 2003 Bridget has worked with writer/presenter Hetti Perkins, and Venice Biennale and a member of the international selec- directors Warwick Thornton and Steven McGregor on the tion committee for the 2000 Biennale of Sydney. two series of art + soul.
She wrote and presented the original three-part documen- Bridget Ikin is a passionate champion of new and innova- tary series art + soul (ABC Television, 2010), directed by tive filmmaking, and has produced many films over many Warwick Thornton, and in 2014 has completed this follow- years under her Hibiscus Films banner. She has also had a up series, directed by Steven McGregor. long and distinguished career as a film executive. Bridget and her partner John Maynard recently established FELIX Hetti’s multi-faceted experience and expertise is brought MEDIA, a production company working with artists at the to bear on these two series; she has worked in Indigenous intersection of excellence, originality, audience engagement visual art for twenty-five years, initially at the Aboriginal and social conviction. See www.felixmedia.com.au Arts Australia and Boomalli Aboriginal Artists Cooperative, and most recently at the Art Gallery of New South Wales Through Felix Media, Bridget’s executive producer credits (AGNSW) in the role of senior curator of Aboriginal and include: artist Angelica Mesiti’s moving image projects The Torres Strait Islander art. She has edited a number of publi- Calling, The Ear Of The Tyrant and Citizen’s Band; William cations and is chair of the Charlie Perkins Trust for Children Yang’s My Generation, Blood Links and Friends Of Dorothy, and Students, which she founded. all of which are iconic theatre pieces reworked into film.
»»STEVEN MCGREGOR, »»JO-ANNE MCGOWAN, DIRECTOR PRODUCER/ARCHIVAL RESEARCHER Steven McGregor wrote and directed several documentaries and dramas before accepting the invitation to work on art Jo-anne McGowan has produced both series of art + soul. + soul, his biggest project to date. His most recent docu- Previous documentaries include the Timor-themed Troubled mentary credits include Croker Island Exodus about the epic Waters (winner, Dendy Award, Sydney Film Festival, 2002) journey of a group of stolen generation children during World and Kabbarli, a short feature on the life of anthropologist War II and Big Name No Blanket, a portrait of the Warumpi and writer Daisy Bates, commissioned for the Adelaide Band’s charismatic front man George Rrurrambu. Both Festival. In the last 15 years she has also worked at SBS films played in the Sydney and Melbourne International Film Independent, at the NSW Film and Television Office, at SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 Festivals and in the FIFO Film Festival Tahiti. ABC TV Arts, and as head of producing at the Australian Film, Television & Radio School. She is a graduate of that Steven has also written four episodes of the ABC drama institution. series Redfern Now: Pretty Boy Blue won the AACTA Award for best screenplay in television in 2013, and in the following (For an extensive and insightful discussion with the creative year Babe in Arms was nominated in the same category. team on art + soul, see the Q&A section in the press kit for this series.) 42 »»CURRICULUM (ACELA1565) ** RELEVANCE English/EAL Years Text structure and organization. 11–12 – National Students will: Curriculum Links art + soul 2 is a text that has com- pelling and clear relevance to broad -- compare the purposes, text struc- The English curriculum in the senior range of subjects in the school cur- tures and language features of secondary years continues to provide riculum. Subjects such as: traditional and contemporary texts a range of choice of more specialised in different media (ACELA1566) courses to meet students’ needs and • English – Year 10–VCE; -- evaluate the impact on audi- interests. Some examples of op- • Australian History Year 10–VCE; ences of different choices in the tions may include the study of film or • Art – Year 10–VCE; representation of still and moving literature, a general English studies • Film & Media Studies Year 10 images (ACELA1572) program oriented to vocational uses of • VCE Media; English and English as an Additional • VCE Art; Film study is a common element of Language or Dialect (EAL/D). • Studio Art; the English course at this level, and • VCE Sociology; art + soul 2 provides both a useful text In the Language Strand, students ap- • Aboriginal Studies to introduce students to cinematic ply their knowledge about language techniques and to potentially pro- to a variety of disciplines and pur- LINKS TO THE NATIONAL vide an introduction to the works of poses. In doing so, they demonstrate CURRICULUM FOR YEAR 10 Indigenous artists. a sophisticated understanding of ENGLISH: grammar and language features from According to the rubric of the National the textual to the word level, and the A number of learning areas in the Curriculum, this documentary may ability to identify and analyse how National English Curriculum are inher- provide students with a text ‘to com- language is used, and implement this ently addressed in art + soul: pare and evaluate a range of repre- understanding for different purposes sentations of individuals and groups in and audiences. ENGLISH CONTENT different historical, social and cultural DESCRIPTIONS: LANGUAGE. contexts’ (ACELT1639). In the Literature Strand, students will better understand literary texts and Language variation and change. • Students can use art + soul 2 to discuss and debate the elements Students should: analyse and evaluate how people, that make a text culturally valuable. cultures, places, events, objects, Students engage in extensive analysis -- understand that Standard and concepts are represented … of literary texts, in terms of contextual Australian English in its spoken through language, structural and/ aspects such as social impact, pur- and written forms has a history of or visual choices’ (ACELT1749). pose and message. They also analyse evolution and change and contin- • They are also able ‘to analyse literature texts for technical aspects ues to evolve (ACELA1563) The and explain how text structures, such as language, plot and character concepts of country and language language features and visual development. (Students compare – terms which carry a different features of texts, and the context past and present texts in relation significance for Indigenous people in which texts are experienced, to themes, purposes or language from the usual understanding of may influence audience response’ features, in order to discuss issues of these words are an important fea- (ACELT1641). form, content, and structure). Students ture of the discourse in this series. • Using this documentary, students compose texts that show informed can address and ‘evaluate the appreciation of plot and character Language for interaction. Students social, moral and ethical positions development, effective language use, should: represented in texts’ (ACELT1812). and representation and manipulation • Finally, art + soul provides an of ideas. -- understand how language use can example for students to ‘compare have inclusive and exclusive social and evaluate a range of represen- The Literacy Strand involves students SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 effects, and can empower or dis- tations of individuals and groups producing a growing range of creative empower people (ACELA1564) in different historical, social and expository, persuasive and other texts -- understand that people’s evalu- cultural contexts’ (ACELT1639). under various circumstances with a ations of texts are influenced by variety of stimuli, and demonstrate an their value systems ability to create written, spoken and -- the context and the purpose multimodal texts both individually and and mode of communication with peers. 43 ** depth studies and the amount of time • students develop the ability to allocated to each study will be deter- critically analyse film and television The Arts – Media, Film, mined according to considerations texts in a range of ways; Drama: Links to the of feasibility, conceptual ability and • they work towards understanding National Curriculum student engagement. the aesthetics, styles and formats of film and television texts; The scope and sequence of the Students will develop historical skills • they develop the ability and knowl- Australian Arts Curriculum embodies: which include: edge to explain ways in which media texts reinforce or challenge . Dance • learning how to use, with facil- social, cultural and artistic values – . Drama ity, common historical terms for and in this specific area, art + soul . Media Arts dealing with chronology and is a valuable asset. . Music time-related historical concepts • they learn to use appropriate . Visual Art and continuing to acquire a sound media terminology and personal grasp of the sequence of events interpretations to describe the Through Media Arts, individuals and • asking and exploring inquiry ques- structure, content and aesthetic groups participate in, experiment with tions in detail, finding relevant and qualities of film and television and interpret the rich culture and com- comprehensive texts; munications practices that surround answers and providing sound explana- • they study critical approaches to them. In Media Arts, students develop tions and conclusions for historical analyse and interpret media texts; knowledge and understanding of five events • the language of film and television; key concepts: the media languages • using a wide range of different cinematography, sounds and mise used to tell stories; the technologies forms of evidence in providing en scène are studied. which are essential for producing, historical explanations, recognising accessing and distributing media; the how these forms of evidence may ** various institutions that enable and vary in their value constrain media production and use; • developing a range of appropriate Years 9–10 Australian the audiences for whom media arts techniques of organisation and History products are made and who respond communication as consumers, citizens and creative The Indigenous Australian histori- individuals; and the constructed repre- Students should have an appreciation cal component is to be found in the sentations of the world, which rely on of the major civilisations of Europe, syllabus of all Australian secondary shared social valued and beliefs. Asia, Africa, America and Australia. schools and features of this involve: They should understand Australian history within a comparative frame- • a knowledge and understanding of ** work that embraces the Indigenous the nature of history, past societies Links to the National and settler components, and they and periods and their legacy; Curriculum for History should be aware of its regional and • the nature of history, the main fea- Years 7–10 global dimensions. tures of past societies and periods and their legacy; Curriculum focus Indigenous – settler relations are part • significant features of Aboriginal of the ‘depth’ studies of this sub- and indigenous cultures, prior to The Year 7–10 history curriculum will ject. Of particular significance is the colonisation ; specify the required learning in terms increasing recognition of the rights of • a knowledge and understanding of of historical concepts, understand- Australia’s Indigenous peoples and Aboriginal and indigenous peoples ings and skills, through overviews and the search for reconciliation. It is in of the world and the nature of depth studies. Depth studies may this area that art + soul operates as contact history; include episodes of key significance a teaching tool for understanding the • the ways indigenous and non- to the period of study. Some depth identity, legacy, historical and contem- indigenous peoples of the world studies will provide options, includ- porary relevance of the first peoples. have responded to contact with ing comparative options and school each other. developed options where appropri- • a knowledge and understanding of ate, so that the required learning can ** the changing rights and freedoms SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 be developed in a range of historical Film & Media Studies: of Aboriginal peoples and other contexts. This will enable teachers Year 10 groups in Australia; to meet the interests and needs of art + soul is an excellent resource their students. A depth study should In general, Media Studies at Year 10 to illustrate all these elements. incorporate interconnections and level involves studying aspects of both comparisons within a historical period film and television, with a series of where appropriate.The number of projected Outcomes: 44 ** UNIT 1 including at least one finished artwork, using selected Analytical Frameworks VCE Art Outcome 1 to reflect upon and annotate their work. RATIONALE On completion of this unit the student should be able to analyse and inter- UNIT 4 The VCE Art study recognises art as pret a variety of artworks using the an integral part of our lives. Art is a Formal Framework and the Personal Outcome 1 potent and dynamic visual language Framework. through which we are able to com- On completion of this unit the stu- municate personal experiences, ideas, Outcome 2 dent should be able to discuss and cultural values and beliefs. In both debate an art issue using selected the process of making and examining On completion of this unit the student artist/s works as context, and present art, students can realise the power to should be able to present visual crea- their informed opinion with reference inspire change through imagination, tive responses that demonstrate their to artworks and with the support of creativity and innovation. personal interests and ideas through selected commentaries and relevant trialling techniques, materials and aspects of the Analytical Frameworks. Within the VCE Art study, theoretical processes. research and investigation informs Outcome 2 artmaking. Students are encouraged UNIT 2 to recognise the interplay between On completion of this unit the student research and artmaking. This provides Outcome 1 should have progressively com- students with an informed context that municated ideas, directions and/ or supports an awareness of art as a tool On completion of this unit the student personal concepts in a body of work for cultural and personal communica- should be able to analyse, interpret, that includes at least one finished art- tion, in addition to providing stimulus compare and contrast artworks work, having used selected Analytical and inspiration for their own artmak- from different cultures using the Frameworks to underpin reflections on ing. The study acknowledges the value Formal Framework and the Cultural their artmaking. of creativity and analytical thinking in Framework. preparing students for today’s world For the past four years, 2010–2013, by encouraging imagination, flexibility, Outcome 2 written examinations for VCE Year 12 adaptability and risk-taking. Students Art have focused on the following: develop their visual language through On completion of this unit the student personal and independent learning by should be able to demonstrate techni- • Identifying and commenting on combining a focused study of art- cal and artistic development in the formal elements – texture, colour, works with practical artmaking. presentation of visual responses that tone, line, shape; include one finished artwork, through • Comparing the use of materials VCE Art provides the opportunity to the exploration of selected media, and techniques; investigate the role of art in the world materials and techniques. • Meanings and messages; through a study of historical and • Visual analysis; contemporary cultures. The Art study UNIT 3 • The use of symbolism; challenges students to articulate their • Distinctive stylistic qualities; understanding of the meanings and Outcome 1 • Formal, cultural and personal messages contained within artworks analytical frameworks within which and to examine the effects of art- On completion of this unit the student to comment on/analyse selected works upon the viewer. Throughout should be able to use the Analytical artworks; their study, students develop skills in Frameworks to analyse and interpret • The interpretation of a work of art/ research, analysis and arts criticism artworks produced before 1970 and differing viewpoints about an art to interpret and debate the issues artworks produced since 1970, and issue – all of which are routinely that are raised and, in response, they compare and contrast the meanings addressed in art + soul. form and support personal points and messages of artworks produced of view. Through exploration and before 1970 with those of artworks Questions raised in the area of inter- experimentation using art forms, produced since 1970. pretation have been: SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 materials, techniques and processes, students progressively develop their Outcome 2 1. ‘Art creates discussion and de- own artworks and develop an aware- bate.” Respond to this statement with ness of appropriate health and safety On completion of this unit the student reference to an art issue that you have practices. should be able to explore personal explored this year. Support your point ideas and concepts through a con- of view by including Structure: 4 units ceptual and practical investigation 45 • a discussion of at least one art consumption and reception of media UNIT 1 Area of Study 1: work; texts. Media texts are representations • at least two commentaries on art of social, personal and cultural reality, Focus: An analysis of media represen- which have been constructed through tations and how such representations 2. Discuss how one artwork made a process of selection and omission, depict, for example, events, people, after 1970 that you have studied this using media codes and conventions. places, organisations and ideas. year can be interpreted in more than Codes and conventions may be com- one way. Use two analytical frame- mon to all media products, or specific Area of Study 2: works to interpret this framework. to individual media forms, texts, gen- res and styles. VCE Media examines Focus: Technologies of representa- 3. Art may change the way people media products as the expression tion; different media forms and their think”. Respond to this statement with of creative ideas, specific symbolic features and practices. reference to an art issue that you have languages and discourses of society explored this year. Support your point and culture that shape meaning and UNIT 3 Area of Study 1: of view by including reflect the society in which they were created. This study explores a vari- Focus: The narrative construction of • a discussion of at least one art ety of media forms, including audio, film, television or drama texts; stu- work; audiovisual media, print-based media, dents learn that narrative is a fun- • at least two commentaries on digital and interactive media technolo- damental element of construction of art (See the 2011 Art Exam for gies and convergent media processes. meaning in media products. Unit 3&4 for the inclusion of an Students examine and analyse the Indigenous artist’s work) relationships between audiences and UNIT 4 Area of Study 2: the media; this analysis is undertaken art + soul is a valuable text in the through a theoretical and practical Focus: Media texts and society’s val- study of VCE Art, resonating as it does study that places the student in the ues; students undertake the study of to key aspects of the VCE Art course. role of a media creator. an identified significant idea, social at- titude or discourse … to critically ana- In this subject, at both Year 11 and lyse its representation in the media. ** Year 12, the study of narrative struc- VCE Media Studies tures and social values demonstrated Area of Study 3: Units 1, 3 & 4 – through a variety of texts – including relevance for art + soul film – are explored. Story elements Focus: Media influence; students working with production elements explore the complexity of the relation- SCOPE OF STUDY include: ship between the media, its audiences and wider community in terms of The media is a diverse, dynamic and • the point of view from which the the nature and extent of the media’s evolving collection of forms used to narrative is presented; influence. inform, communicate with and con- • camera/film/techniques and nect people. Media influence the way qualities including shot selection, VCE Media written examination people spend their time, help shape movement and focus; questions can focus on social issues the way they perceive themselves • lighting; or discourses, which are compelling and others, and play a crucial role in • acting; elements of art + soul. Consider the the creation and exchange of per- • visual composition and mise en following questions from the 2013 sonal, social, cultural, national and scène; Media Written Examination: global identities. The media entertain, • sound, including dialogue, music educate, inform and provide channels and sound effects. 1.‘Society’s values shape the con- of communication. This takes place struction and reading of texts. These within the broader context of: indus- The content and focus of the four values are in a state of constant trial organisation; political and market Units of the VCE Media Studies evolution, and tension always exists structures; professional practices; course are: between dominant, oppositional and creative processes; traditional, con- emerging values. temporary and emerging technologies; Unit 1: Representation and technolo- regulation; and the need to attract and gies of representation; 2.Discuss the relationship between SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 maintain audiences. The relationships Unit 2: Media production and the dominant, oppositional and emerging between such frames of reference media industry; values in society, and how they have and audiences shape media prod- Unit 3: Narrative and media production been represented in one or more me- ucts and the ways in which they are design; dia texts that you studied this year.’ developed, constructed, distributed Unit 4: Media: process, influence and and consumed. Notions of audience society’s values. Art as a means of communica- underlie the creation, distribution, tion is a time-honoured concept: 46 communication theories and models artists from different cultures, students inspiration and used materials and form part of this study, and art + soul 2 recognise the diversity of aesthetic techniques in the production of surely informs as a vehicle of com- qualities and examine a range of artworks. munication between Indigenous and interpretations of ideas and themes. In non-Indigenous worlds. practical application students identify UNIT 2: DESIGN EXPLORATION elements of inspiration for the devel- AND CONCEPTS opment of their own creative artworks **** and explore a wide variety of materials This unit focuses on students estab- VCE Studio Arts and techniques. lishing and using a design process to produce artworks. The design process RATIONALE In Unit 3 the student uses an explora- includes the formulation and use of tion proposal to define an area for the an individual approach to locating The creative nature of visual art pro- development of a visual design pro- sources of inspiration, experimentation vides individuals with the opportunity cess that is based on their individual with materials and techniques, and for personal growth, the expression concepts and ideas. The exploration the development of aesthetic qualities, of ideas and a process for examining proposal underpins the student’s directions and solutions prior to the identity. The exhibition of visual art of- working process and is used as a production of artworks. fers an insight into the diverse inter- reference for the development and pretations of life and its experience reflection of the design process. This Students also develop skills in the by artists. Engagement with visual art enables the student to establish an visual analysis of artworks. Artworks facilitates creative thinking and the understanding about how to generate made by artists from different times development of new ideas, it also sup- a range of potential directions for the and cultures are analysed to under- ports connection and exchange within production of possible future artworks. stand the artists’ ideas and how they communities and beyond. have created aesthetic qualities and In Unit 4 students develop a creative identifiable styles. VCE Studio Arts encourages and folio of finished artworks based on supports students to recognise their selected potential directions. Students UNIT 3: STUDIO PRODUC- individual potential as art makers and evaluate the use of materials, tech- TION AND PROFESSIONAL ART presents a guided process to assist niques and aesthetics in relation to PRACTICES their understanding and development the successful communication of their of artmaking. The study establishes ef- ideas in their finished artworks. This unit focuses on the implementa- fective art practices through the appli- tion of an individual design process cation of an individual design process STRUCTURE leading to the production of a range to assist the student’s production of a of potential directions and solutions. folio of artworks. The study is made up of four units: Students develop and use an explora- tion proposal to define an area of crea- The theoretical component of this Unit 1: Artistic inspiration and tive exploration. They plan and apply a study is an important basis for studio techniques design process to explore and develop practice as it offers students a model Unit 2: Design exploration and their individual ideas. Analysis of these for inquiry that can support their art- concepts explorations and the development of making practices. Students’ research Unit 3: Studio production and profes- the potential directions is an intrinsic focuses on the visual analysis of sional art practices part of the design process to support artworks and investigates how artists Unit 4: Studio production and art the making of finished artworks in Unit have interpreted sources of inspira- industry contexts 4. tion and influences in their artmaking. Students examine how artists have UNIT 1: ARTISTIC INSPIRATION For this study, the exploration pro- used materials, techniques and pro- AND TECHNIQUES posal supports the student to identify cesses to create aesthetic qualities. a direction for their design process. They study how artists have devel- This unit focuses on using sources of The design process is individually oped styles and explored their cultural inspiration and individual ideas as the determined by the student. It records identity in their artwork. Students use basis for developing artworks and ex- trialling, experimenting, analysing and this knowledge to inform their own ploring a wide range of materials and evaluating the extent to which their processes to support their artmaking. techniques as tools for communicating art practices successfully communi- SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 ideas, observations and experiences cate their aims and ideas. From this The foundation for the individual through artmaking. process students can develop direc- design process is established in Units tions for the development of finished 1 and 2 where students develop Students also explore and research artworks in Unit 4. an understanding of how to source the ways in which artists from dif- artistic inspiration related to their indi- ferent times and cultures have inter- The study of artists and their work vidual interests. Through the study of preted and expressed ideas, sourced practices and processes may provide 47 inspiration for students’ own ap- Sociology focuses on the study of of society are interrelated, in addition proaches to artmaking. Students human behaviour and social interac- to the causes and impacts of social investigate and analyse the response tion to understand how societies are change. of artists to a wide range of stimuli, organised, develop and change. There and examine their use of materials and is no single sociological perspective, VCE Sociology provides valuable techniques. They explore professional rather, there are several theories that knowledge and skills for participation art practices of artists in relation to offer different ways of understanding in everyday life. It develops a capac- particular artworks and art form/s and human society. Sociologists use these ity for detailed observation of social identify the development of styles in theories and frameworks in a comple- patterns and group behaviour, and en- artworks. Throughout their study of mentary way to attempt to objectively courages students to become aware art processes, students also consider examine social issues and explain of and to think about daily life and the issues that may arise from the use concepts. In VCE Sociology students activities from a sociological perspec- of other artists’ work in the making of examine key theories regarding family, tive. This study broadens students’ new artworks. Students are expected deviance, ethnicity, community and insights into key sociological frame- to visit at least two different exhibition social movements. works and social institutions, enabling spaces in their current year of study. them to pursue further formal study at In VCE Sociology students are encour- a tertiary level or in vocational educa- Exam questions from a selection of aged to question their assumptions tion and training settings. past Examination papers include: and to reflect on their understand- ings and ideas about social relations. The study of Sociology can lead to • Discuss the aesthetic qualities in Understanding society from a socio- work with social groups and social the artwork and explain how art el- logical perspective involves the use processes, such as in culture resource ements have been used to achieve of what the sociologist C Wright Mills management and community develop- these qualities. (in 1959) described as a sociologi- ment, or work with minority and ethnic • Discuss how an artwork that you cal imagination, that is, a constantly groups. It can lead to work in fields have studied this year reflects the critiquing mindset. that address issues such as crime and artist’s interpretation of a historical substance abuse, youth and family or cultural context. Sociology draws on scientific method matters, industrial relations, social • Analyse two artworks by two of the in the exploration of social relation- justice and social issues related to artists you have studied this year ships and the outcomes of social health care. Finally, Sociology devel- to show how they used materials activities. The scientific method is a ops widely applicable skills of social and techniques to develop indi- systematic process applied to re- research: developing surveys, collect- vidual styles. (Indigenous artworks search questions and problems in an ing data, and conducting interviews have been the subject of these attempt to achieve objective observa- and fieldwork, including the analysis, questions.) tion, collection and analysis of data. interpretation and presentation of the • Analyse two artworks by different Sociologists work to develop a reliable information collected. artists that you have studied this and valid body of knowledge based year, with reference to influences, on research. In doing so, they adhere STRUCTURE ideas and meanings. to various ethical codes of conduct. • Identify an art gallery or other art The primary goal of research eth- The study is made up of four units; space where you viewed an art ics is to protect the wellbeing of the however, art + soul applies most ap- exhibition this year and discuss the groups and individuals with whom propriately to Units 3 & 4. following: the role of the art gallery sociologists work. There are many dif- or art space; the intention of the ferent ways that students can gather Unit 3: Culture and ethnicity curator; the presentation of the information for analysis in the course Unit 4: Community, social movements artwork. of their study, such as case studies, and social change. • Analyse one artwork you have surveys and participant observation. studied this year to show how it As students gather and use sources of UNIT 3: CULTURE AND ETHNICITY reflect the artist’s: 1.historical and evidence, they explore and apply the cultural context; 2.artistic influ- Australian Sociological Association’s This unit explores expressions of ences; 3.communication of ideas guidelines for conducting research. culture and ethnicity within Australian and meaning. society in two different contexts – RATIONALE Australian Indigenous culture, and SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 ** ethnicity in relation to migrant groups. The study of VCE Sociology assists in Culture and ethnicity refer to groups VCE Sociology, the development of an appreciation connected by shared customs, culture Units 3 & 4 of cultural diversity, and in an under- or heritage. Students learn how these standing of human behaviour and classifications can define inequality SCOPE OF STUDY social structures. Further, it directs and opportunity, shape cultural activi- students’ attention to how the parts ties and provide a sense of purpose. 48 Area of Study 1 involves a critical of theoretical understandings of the History is the practice of understand- exploration of the historical suppres- concept of community with particular ing and making meaning of the past. sion of, and increasing public aware- reference to the theories of Tonnies It is also the study of the problems ness of, Australian Indigenous culture. and Castells. of establishing and representing that This requires some knowledge of the meaning. It is a synthesising discipline past and its influence on subsequent In Area of Study 2 students investigate which draws upon most elements of generations, as well as knowledge the role of social movements. A social knowledge and human experience. of contemporary factors that may be movement involves a group engaged Students learn about their histori- supporting and/ or limiting increasing in an rganized effort to achieve social cal past, their shared history and the awareness of Australian Indigenous change. Students develop an un- people, ideas and events that have culture. Indigenous and non-indige- derstanding of the purpose, evolu- created present societies and cultures. nous perspectives and responses are tion, power and outcomes of social integral to the area of study. movements. This study builds a conceptual and historical framework within which Ethnicity is investigated in Area of Indigenous artists in art + soul 2 are students can develop an understand- Study 2. Ethnicity is a key sociological part of an ongoing emergent force in ing of the issues of their own time and category that plays an important role the Australian and international art place. It seeks to extend students’ in social life. Individuals often define world, a movement that demands, cultural, economic, social and political themselves, or others, as members of by its existence, recognition and understanding while developing ana- an ethnic category based on com- appreciation. lytical skills and using imagination. mon heritage, language or religion that gives them a unique social identity. Typical examination questions, for Historical understanding is com- The category is often used in contrast which art + soul acts as a supplemen- municated through written, oral and to the concept of race, which gener- tary text, involve: visual forms. The analysis of written ally refers to groups based on visible documentary evidence such as letters, physical characteristics such as skin • Describe the main aspects of the diaries, court proceedings and govern- colour and facial features. Most soci- Northern Territory Emergency ment records has long been the foun- ologists prefer to focus on the concept Response – the Intervention’. dation of the study. Visual evidence, of ethnicity rather than race. • Outline how one government however, often pre-dates written mate- policy of the past suppressed rial; for example, rock art, mosaics, Students develop an understanding Australian Indigenous culture. scrolls. More recently, there have been of a variety of challenges that need to • Interpreting differing represen- many film and television documenta- be addressed. For example, that the tations: Identify an example of ries presenting and interpreting histori- way a group sees itself might not cor- material culture from one rep- cal events. It is therefore important respond to the way that outsiders see resentation and an example of in the study of history for students to it. Sometimes observers place people non-material culture from the other develop the skills necessary to analyse into broad ethnic categories, which representation. visual, oral and written records. do not correspond with the views of • Explain the effects that one of the individual group members. In addition, representations is likely to have The study of history draws links ethnicity is not fixed and unchanging; on the perception of Australian between contemporary society and instead, ethnic identities constantly Indigenous culture by either its history, in terms of its social and evolve and are shaped through a vari- Indigenous or non-Indigenous political institutions, and language. ety of political and social forces. Australians. An understanding of the link between • Describe one difference between accounts of the past, and the values UNIT 4: COMMUNITY, SOCIAL an ethnocentric and a cultur- and interests of the time in which the MOVEMENTS AND SOCIAL ally relativistic study of Australian accounts were produced, is also a CHANGE Indigenous culture. Provide exam- feature of the study of history. ples from the representations or In this Unit students explore the ways material that you have studied this VCE History is relevant to students sociologists have thought about the year. with a wide range of expectations, idea of community and how the vari- • Explain the difference between including those who wish to pursue ous forms of community are experi- the policies of assimilation and formal study at tertiary level, as well enced. They examine the relationship multiculturalism. as providing valuable knowledge and SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 between social movements and social skills for an understanding of the un- change. In Area of Study 1 students ** derpinnings of contemporary society. examine the changing definitions and experiences of community and VCE Australian History art + soul is a text most applicable to the challenges posed by political, Units 2 and 3: social, economic and technological RATIONALE change. Students examine a range UNIT 2: KOORI HISTORY 49 Koori is a term most commonly used international movements such as impetus of significant events such as by Aboriginal people in South Eastern the civil rights movement in the the discovery of gold and the Eureka Australia to describe themselves. USA. Many Aboriginal community rebellion. The underlying visions will Koori history provides an introduction organisations helped achieve sig- also be explored in relation to their to the experiences of Koori people nificant changes in the legal status of impact on those who lived in the from a Koori perspective. It examines Aborigines and to assert control over Port Phillip District, including the Koori views of the past and present, issues affecting the lives of Aboriginal Indigenous people. explores Koori connections with people in areas such as housing, the place now known as south-east employment, education and welfare. Australia, and promotes understanding Activism in the 1970s and beyond ** of Koori culture and Koori visions for emphasised land rights and stressed VCE English/EAL – Units the future of this land. the centrality of land for all Aborigines 1 & 2 : Contexts and Torres Strait Islanders. The following unit is intended to reflect These Contexts often foreshadow or a Koori perspective on the experi- More recently, the Mabo and Wik judg- utilise those proscribed for Year 12. ences and events that are critical to ments have been milestones in the For example, Units 1&2 Contexts such the Koori community. For example, struggle for land rights and there has as ‘Who are you?’, ‘Personal Journeys’ although there may be debate in the been greater recognition of the dam- and ‘Australian Identity’ have a broader community about use of the age done through many government strong connection to the ‘Identity and term ‘invasion’ to describe European policies and actions, especially the Belonging’ Context in Units 3&4. art + settlement in Australia, it is the term removal of Koori children (the stolen soul applies to these Contexts in the most commonly accepted in the Koori generations). A significant national following ways: community and therefore is used in movement for reconciliation has grown this unit. up to acknowledge these issues and . Indigenous Australians see them- to offer hope for the future. selves as being at one with the Before 1788, Koori communities man- land; creation myths, connections aged their societies in accordance Koori identity remains strongly con- to country, the spirit of place, the with their own economic and kinship nected to the concepts of land, intense belief that the land is ‘in systems, customs and law. However, kinship and culture. These are not our DNA’, contribute to a unique after their lands were invaded and separate values, but inextricably sense of identity and belonging. as a result of the impact of European bound together in lived experience. . Identity is a complex concept, policies, Koori people were no longer Koori people assert their identity by involving moiety, songlines,a able to occupy their land, practise using the term Koori or more particular re-interpretation of the weight of their ceremonies or hunt and gather names related to their clan or lan- history. food as they had done for thousands guage group, flying the Aboriginal flag, . Cultural traditions that are ‘secret’ of years. Initially, Kooris fought against and in many other forms of cultural and highly specific to a sense of the settlers and the impact of coloni- expression such as song, dance, oral connection. sation. With diminished numbers they history, painting and film. . We can see in art + soul how these then struggled to make places for elements are manifested – and re- themselves in the new society being Each of the following areas of study interpreted – by artists to express formed. concentrates on themes in Koori his- a sense of pride and celebration in tory and connects to contemporary their own and by close extension, Despite restricted opportunities and issues. The areas may be treated their people’s identity and sense of racist attitudes in the broader com- separately or integrated into a single bonding to their country. munity, strong individual Koori leaders chronological framework. and groups emerged to work for better VCE ENGLISH/EAL UNITS 3&4 conditions and greater independence. UNIT 3: AUSTRALIAN HISTORY – CONTEXTS In the nineteenth century most efforts IMAGINING AUSTRALIA were on a small and local scale, but IDENTITY AND BELONGING by the early twentieth century, Kooris This unit focuses on the European came to see themselves as part of a experience in Australia from the early Study guides will tell us that our national movement and to act nation- years of the Port Phillip District (later identity is a construction of our ally. Examples of this were the Day Victoria) through the nineteenth cen- interests, relationships, social activity SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 of Mourning that Aboriginal peoples tury and up to the eve of World War I. and much more. Our sense of identity staged in 1938 and the establishment and belonging is impacted upon by of the Australian Aborigines League. The study introduces students to the various factors, including our family visions and ideas which underpinned dynamic, our experiences, relation- The upsurge of activism in the colonial society and examines the ships, culture and our environment. 1960s was influenced by politi- ways in which they changed over the The journey to find identity and be- cal changes within Australia and by colonial period, especially under the longing can often be a struggle, since 50 we ask ourselves ‘who am I?’ versus Everything and everyone can influence of being real, but as humans we have ‘who do others want me to be?’ and a person’s identity and belonging. the capacity to perceive and inter- ‘where do I belong? Where do I fit in?’ While some influences can be major, pret our own realities in many differ- This search is completely subjective, such as a move from one country and ent ways. This Context, therefore, is meaning that it is our personal view culture to another, or relationship with chiefly concerned with the subjectivity that influences our decisions. But as one’s family, other influences may be of human experience and emotion, art + soul begins, our narrator informs minor, for example an incident with and how differences in individuals us about the significance of the land a friend many years ago. art +soul and in their personal circumstances to its original peoples, how they see suggests that for the Indigenous lead to alternative perceptions of what themselves, drawn to a sense of Australians, the painful events of past reality is. Furthermore, understanding unique connection, both spiritual and history have influenced their artistic other perceptions of reality can help emotional. This is indeed a personal expression in a variety of ways. clarify our own version of what is real, view, but it is also, without doubt, a in addition to enlightening us about communal one for the first Australians, Our artists ‘live in a different world’ our understanding of our place in the as clearly expressed in the art we will in a sense, but while many of our world and thereby further enriching be introduced to. experiences as part of the human our experience of life. family overlap, the reason why we are In different situations, we may alter all unique is because we ultimately Who or what shapes our sense of our identity accordingly to the environ- choose what does or does not impact reality? ment and the people we encounter. us in a crucial or unimportant way. It is This is usually due to our innate desire the myriad parts of our lives that come The notion of “reality” is inextricably to belong, sacrificing or amending together that create our identity. We linked to the subjectivity of individual our identity to do so. And yet in the can see, by the documentary’s end, human existence. As such, “reality”is context of art + soul, we see little of the sum of the many experiences and viewed differently by each individual, this need for affirmation from others; influences in the lives of our artists – through the filter of his/her personal our artists are soundly connected to good or bad, happy or sad – that have circumstances, values and emotions. their work, their sense of family, and of made them who they are. In addition to this, “reality” is deter- course, their country. mined through a combination of other Is there ever struggle with identity and factors and perspectives. Belonging, the other half of this belonging? Context, means to feel a sense of wel- Our sense of reality is shaped from come and acceptance to someone or Everyone has struggled with their a multitude of sources. The media is something. As suggested by Maslow’s identity and belonging during a chap- one entity that plays a significant role hierarchy of needs (a psychological ter of their life. There comes a time in shaping reality. How? Other realms theory centered on humans’ innate when our opinions and beliefs begin include: desire for fulfillment), belonging is a to differentiate from those around us. need that we naturally seek in order During this time, some people may . Science – where reality is per- to feel loved. In the same manner as discover where they belong, whereas ceived according to what is factual our identities, there are many forms of many others do not. It is not solely at or demonstrable belonging. Relationships – with family, one stage of our lives when we are . Religion – where reality is con- friends, partners, associates and in confronted with an identity crisis; it is sidered according to “dogma” the workplace – may give us a sense a continuous challenge throughout our (doctrine) of belonging that is vital or a sense lives as we encounter new experienc- . History – where reality is con- of rejection that is painful. A social es that will alter our thoughts, emo- sidered according to human milieu evokes for the individual a feel- tions and perspective on ourselves. development - this also applies ing of inclusion, and we can see this on a personal level in terms of an exemplified in the various Indigenous CONTEXT: WHOSE REALITY? individual’s history artists communities with their common . Psychology – where reality is purpose. The question mark in the Context’s viewed in relation to theory and title is deliberate: it recognizes the research. If we fail to find a sense of belonging, existence isolation and depression often ensues. The notion of one, single and definitive However, there are those who do not and validity of multiple perspectives version of ‘reality’ is extremely hard to SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 belong but are in fact liberated by regarding what is considered ‘real’. justify in the face of so many subjec- their independence. This may be due The wording of the title also clearly tive and variable perspectives. to their desire to rebel against family suggests that we should be prepared tradition, friends’ expectations or work to accept the existence of alternative What are the broader ideas and argu- commitment and thus are pleased to versions of reality to our own, whether ments that emerge from this Context? be set apart. What influences identity we share these perceptions or not. and belonging? Reality is defined as the state or fact One answer to this question must 51 surely be the interpretation of reality a culture rooted in stories of an ancient and feelings influence what we see. through an artistic medium, and this Dreamtime, have a deeper insight into is where art + soul can be a useful spiritual reality than those of us reared Many personal factors influence our supplementary text. Broadly speaking, in the traditions of Western scientific subjective view of landscape. These all artists featured in this documentary enlightenment? include: series interpret the world around them in a variety of ways: CONTEXT: THE IMAGINATIVE • Culture LANDSCAPE • Tradition . By re-evaluating the history of • Values Australia from an Indigenous When studying Imaginative • Morals perspective, as opposed to the Landscape, there are some key ques- • Beliefs white European perspective. (think tions that we need to ask ourselves in • Religion Daniel Boyd, Christian Thompson, order to understand the concept. • Emotions Warwick Thornton, Julie Gough); • Attitude What is a landscape? • Experiences By responding to current govern- • Choices ment policy by ‘hands-on’ personal Landscape is the physical environ- • Career ‘intervention’ into the realities of social ment we see around us everyday and • Lifestyle problems. (think Yarrenyty Arltere Art everywhere we go. All landscapes are Centre artists and their animated films, unique, from the quiet countryside Whose landscape? Vernon Ah Kee’s cinematic interpreta- to the hustle and bustle of the city. tion of the Palm Island riots); This individuality stems from their Every person sees landscape differ- geographical location to their scenic ently. This is mainly due to the human By ‘re-creating’ past realities as a backdrop – some consisting of build- factors discussed above. However, demonstration of Indigenous skills in ings, vegetation, rivers and more. another factor that influences the way response to historical misinterpreta- It is through our perspective of the we perceive landscape is other people tions of Indigenous peoples. (Think landscape that allows us to appreciate around us. Through our family, friends, Lola and Rex Greeno); what is before us. However, our other and associates’ experiences and senses also come into play when con- beliefs, we come to view a landscape . By preserving past traditions and ceptualising a particular space. While in different ways. While landscapes are culture to inform and educate we may not notice it, when we look static, they are perceived differently for young Indigenous Australians of at a picture or painting of the ocean, each individual. the reality of a proud past which our mind absorbs more information may be celebrated in the present. than what we simply see. We subcon- And here is where art + soul func- (Think of Wanyubi Marika and Tjala sciously imagine the warmth of the tions as an exemplary text for this Arts). sun, the breeze of the ocean and the Context. The Imaginative Landscape salty smell of the sea lingering around Context which, interestingly features As art + soul demonstrates, there are us. Thus, it is our 5 senses that help an Indigenous story as one of the varied ways that experience can be re- us understand and appreciate different principal texts – One night the moon corded and interpreted. The set texts, landscapes. directed by Rachel Perkins – illustrates and supplementary texts, provide op- clearly the relationship the artist has portunities for to analyse the ways that All our senses are important in shap- with the world around him or her, inter- different people perceive and respond ing a landscape. When we think of preting it in a variety of ways, layering to the world. As Warwick Thornton home, we may associate it with lots this world with a selection of colour, remarks of one of his recent films: of noise, smells of Italian cooking, or symbolic significance, caricature, the warmth of the fireplace. However, mythic and spiritual references and va- It is important for English students it is not just these senses that help us riety of distortions which demonstrate studying any of these Contexts to connect with our home landscape, but a viewpoint or an agenda. compile a file of appropriate texts to also our emotions and experiences. employ in creating and presenting their own written pieces. When considering What is an imagined landscape? ** The Darkside as a supplementary text, Aboriginal Studies – it is important to reflect on the words An imagined landscape is the mean- Elective/standalone SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 of Director Warwick Thornton: ing we add to a physical landscape. subject Our perspective of landscape is not as Aboriginal people live on the threshold simple as it may first appear. Since it art + soul is an appropriate text for of two dimensions. One is a world of is through our view that we see a land- inclusion in Aboriginal Studies. In the everyday reality and the other a world scape, the natural world around us is NSW curriculum, Aboriginal Studies is of spirits, demons and entities....Is it not viewed through an objective lens – a subject in its own right and focuses possible that Indigenous people, with rather, it is subjective as our thoughts on Aboriginal content, achievement 52 and issues. students of Aboriginal culture, history areas, The Darkside is an impeccable and current issues. resource. The NSW Department of Education and Training has supported an The two Aboriginal Studies syllabuses In Queensland, a number of schools Aboriginal Education K–12 Resource in the NSW curriculum are: and communities provide a P- 10 Guide titled: ‘Aboriginal Education Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander K – 12’ which has been developed to • Aboriginal Studies 7–10 languages syllabus. This Syllabus facilitate the ongoing commitment of • Aboriginal Studies: Stage 6 promotes opportunities for students schools and Aboriginal communities syllabus. to develop knowledge of and commu- to the teaching of Aboriginal studies nication skills in the target Aboriginal across all curriculum areas in NSW. The Resource Guide links resourc- or Torres Strait Islander Language. The intention is that es with the NSW Department of The syllabus promotes active engage- Education and Training Curriculum Key ment and communication between all students can learn about Aboriginal Learning Areas, from Early Stage 1 Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia and gain a proper under- through to Stage 6. These curriculum Australians. The Darkside is an excel- standing of Aboriginal cultures, links are vital as there is a continuum lent example of an ancillary text to this communities and histories. In this of learning for Aboriginal Studies from programme. The website https://www. way cross-cultural understanding K - 12. qsa.qld.edu.au/12798.html also pro- is improved and the processes of vides a wide variety of resources for Reconciliation are strengthened. Selection Criteria for resources in this the teaching of Aboriginal and Torres subject involve questions of up-to- Strait Islander culture and history. ...Teaching Aboriginal studies will date materials, accuracy, ‘positive and strengthen the cultural identity of accurate portrayals of Aboriginal peo- In Victorian schools, Aboriginal Aboriginal students in NSW schools, ple and Torres Strait Islander people’, Studies is an elective choice within the enhance Aboriginal community the ‘balanced nature’ of the material HSIE learning area. involvement, and an acknowledgment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in the and promote understanding by all creation of the resource. In all these
»»ENDNOTES: London UK, Daniel Boyd in- NSW, Education, website at: stallations: http://www.nhm. http://www.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/ 1. art + soul series two: Press Kit, ac.uk/natureplus/blogs/whats- education/education-materials/ Hibiscus Films, Pty.,Ltd. new/2012/02/07/australian-rarities- education-kits/exhibition-kits/ 2. Biography of Charles Perkins: arrive-in-the-images-of-nature- hills-beyond-hermannsburg/ National Museum of Australia web- gallery albert-namatjira/ site: Collaborating for Indigenous 5. Tina Baum, King No Beard, 2007, 8. Harriet Edquist and Elizabeth Rights: Charles Perkins at: http:// Australian Indigenous Art Triennial, Grierson: A skilled hand and a indigenousrights.net.au/person. Culture Warriors, at: http://nga.gov. cultivated mind, Google Books, asp?pID=983 au/Exhibition/NIAT07/Detail.cfm?M http://books.google.com.au/ 3. Raminging community, nuID=3&SubMnuID=1&BioArtistIR books?id=tp_- Northern Territory, at Wikipedia: N=33432&IRN=166417 9. Preserving ancestral knowledge http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 6. Elizabeth Fortescue, Visual Arts with painting on body and bark,
Ramingining,_Northern_Territory Writers, Sydney Daily Telegraph: Melbourne University VOICE, SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 (Accessed 6th June 2014) Boyd’s painful Journey into his Vol. 10 N0. 1, Jan.13th - Feb. 9th and: people’s past, April 22nd 2013. 2014: http://voice.unimelb.edu.au/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ http://www.dailytelegraph. volume-10/number-1/preserving- Aboriginal_Memorial com.au/boyds-painful-jour- ancestral-knowledge-painting- 4. Australian rarities arrive in the ney-into-his-peoples-past/ body-and-bark Images of Nature Gallery, Nature story-e6freuy9-1226625877936 10. ‘Bark petitions: Indigenous Plus: Natural History Museum, 7. Albert Namatjira, Art Gallery of art and reform for the rights of 53 Indigenous Australians’ at the 20. Redfern: http://en.wikipedia.org/ http://www.liveguide.com.au/ Australian Government web- wiki/Redfern,_New_South_Wales Events/831649/Brook_Andrew_ site: http://australia.gov.au/ 21. Pemulwuy, biography at Australian Daniel_Boyd_Destiny_Deacon_ about-australia/australian-story/ Dictionary of Biography site: Ricardo_Idagi_Danie_Melllor_ bark-petitions-indigenous-art http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ Tracy_Moffatt_Darren_Siwes/ 11. Songlines definition from pemulwuy-13147 Debil_Debil_Australian_Ghosts Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/ 22. Albert Namatjira: biography 32. Warwick Thornton: Stranded: wiki/Songline by Sylvia Kleinert, Australian Concrete Playground website: (Accessed 1/6/2014) Dictionary of Biography, at : http://sydney.concreteplayground. 12 Bloodlines (Indigenous) definition: http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ com.au/event/32106/warwick- John T.: Aboriginal Australia, non- namatjira-albert-elea-11217 thornton-stranded.htm Aboriginal Australia: Paradigm 23. The Australian Bicentenary: 33. Social Justice Report 2007 - OZ Palm Island Open Letter at: information at Wikipedia: Chapter 3: The Northern Territory http://paradigmoz.wordpress. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ ‘Emergency com/2007/02/26/aboriginal-aus- Australian_Bicentenary Response’ intervention, Australian tralia-non-aboriginal-australia/ 24. Time Out Sydney website: Carved Human Rights Commission: 13. Aboriginal missions: NSW Trees - Aboriginal Cultures of https://www.humanrights.gov. Government Environment & Western au/publications/social-justice- Heritage site, http://www.environ- NSW: http://www.au.timeout.com/ report-2007- chapter-3-northern- ment.nsw.gov.au/nswcultureherit- sydney/art/events/24779/carved- territory-emergency-response- age/Missions.htm trees-aboriginal-cultures-of-west- intervention 14. Biography, Mickey of Ulladulla, nsw#picture0 34. Governor Arthur’s Proclamation, Design and Art Australia Online: and: 1830: National Library of Australia: http://www.daao.org.au/bio/ http://www.sl.nsw.gov.au/events/ National Treasures: http://national- mickey-of-ulladulla/biography/ exhibitions/2011/carved_trees/ treasures.nla.gov.au/3E/Treasures/ 15. La Perouse, history, at: http://dic- http://www.creativespirits.info/ab- item/nla.int-ex6-s52 tionaryofsydney.org/entry/la_per- originalculture/history/aboriginal- 35. The Tasmanian Invasion - Land ouse: entry by Julia Kensey, 2008. tent-embassy-canberra#toc0 War : Indigenous Australia, http:// and: and: www.indigenousaustralia.info/land/ Wikipedia: http:// Carved Up… by Design- exhibition invasion/tasmanian-land-war.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ curated by Jack Randell, Regional 36. Julie Gough: The Consequence La_Perouse,_New_South_Wales contemporary Art Network, May of Chance, installation: http://ju- (Accessed 1/6/2014) 15, 2014: http://regionalcontem- liegough.wordpress.com/artwork- 16. UAP connects shining new artists poraryartnetwork.wordpress. about-unresolved-histories/ with Sydney’s new Star: Urban Art com/2014/05/05/carved-up-by- And: Projects design-exhibition-curated-by-jack- Julie Gough, Bett Gallery, (UAP), September 12, 2011: http:// randell/ Biography: http://www.bettgallery. www.uap.com.au/assets/Uploads/ 25. Samson and Delilah website: com.au/artists/gough/bio.htm MediaReleaseUAPTheStar110912. http://www.samsonanddelilah. And: pdf com.au/ Constantino de Tejero: In the 17. Kim V. Goldsmith: Undiscovered: 26. Review of Samson and Delilah: realm of ancestral shadows: Unlocking the potential of the At The Movies with Margaret and Inquirer Lifestyle Beta, Art and region’s contemporary indig- David, http://www.abc.net.au/at- Books: http://lifestyle.inquirer. enous artists: Dubbo Photo News themovies/txt/s2542612.htm net/artsandbooks/artsand- Weekender, 27. Soldier Blue: Wikipedia: http:// books/view/20101115-303251/ August 24, 2013: http://www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soldier_Blue In-the-realm-of-ancestral-shadows dubbophotonews.com.au/index. (Accessed June 9 2014) And: php/dpn/categories/local-news/ 28. Coniston: The Coniston Massacre: Julie Gough: Living in the past: item/2147-undiscovered-unlock- http://coniston.pawmedia.com.au/ An Aboriginal artist’s experience ing-the-potential-of-the-region-s- the-coniston-massacre of being Tasmanian. AIATSIS contemporary-indigenous-artists 29. Dan Edwards, interview: Hope and Conference, Canberra 29th 18. Andrew Sayer: Mickey of Ulladulla: survival in the back of a van; Real September 2009: http://www.
Australian Dictionary of Biography, Time Magazine 113: http://www. aiatsis.gov.au/research/conf2009/ SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 Supplementary Volume, 2005: realtimearts.net/article/113/10963 docs/Gough.pdf http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/ 30. Diaspora: definition, Wikipedia, And: mickey-of-ulladulla-13098 at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Julie Gough: The Chase, 2008, 19. La Perouse Aboriginal womens’ Diaspora National Gallery of Australia shell-work: http://press.anu.edu. (Accessed 10th June 2014) Collection Search, Urban Gallery: au//wp-content/uploads/2012/06/ 31. Debil Debil: Australian Ghosts http://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail. ch12.pdf @ Anna Schwartz Gallery at: cfm?IRN=181952 54 And: 48. Boundary rider: the story behind Australia: http://www.artgallery. Lost World video collection, Real the Word of the Month: Oxford wa.gov.au/WAIAA_2013/winner- Time 115, Time travelling exor- Australia, 2010, at: http://andc. Brian-Robinson.asp cism: http://www.realtimearts.net/ anu.edu.au/sites/default/files/ 60. A.C.(Alfred Cort) Haddon, article/115/11155 WOTM%20Dec.%202010.pdf Wikipedia, at: http://en.wikipedia. And: 49. Jane Raffan, Warrakurna Artists, org/wiki/Alfred_Cort_Haddon Sydney Biennale Interpretation: W.A. 2009: http://www.artifacts. (Accessed 19th June 2014) Julie Gough’s ‘Locus’:Design net.au/publication_pdfs/warakur- 61. At a Glance: Tasmanian Aboriginal Arguments: Critical Judgments: na_artists.pdf shell necklaces: Australian June 26, 2006: http://descritbron- 50. Myra Yuriwa Cook, biography, Museum of Australia, Collections: wynap.blogspot.com.au/2006/06/ Short Street Gallery: http://short- http://www.nma.gov.au/collec- task-1-part-b.html stgallery.com.au/artists/779308/ tions/highlights/tasmanian-aborigi- 38. Palm Island, Wikipedia at: myra-yuriwa-cook nal-shell-necklaces http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ 51. Darren Jorgenson, Art history in 62. Wendy Rimon: George Augustus Palm_Island,_Queensland remote Aboriginal Art Centres, Robinson, The Companion to 39. Lex Wotton: The Trial of Coolabah, No.11, 2013, ISSN Tasmanian History, http://www. Lex Wotton, Wikipedia, at: 1988-5946, Observatori: Centre utas.edu.au/library/compan- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ d’Estudis Australians, Australian ion_to_tasmanian_history/R/ Trial_of_Lex_Wotton Studies Centre, Universitat de Robinson%20GA.htm And: Barcelona: http://www.ub.edu/dp- 63. Christine Nicholls: The jewellery Silencing Lex Wotton: Palm Island filsa/coola11darrenjorgensen8.pdf of place, Realtime Arts Magazine, riot decision a blow for freedom 52. Hector Tjupuru Burton, painter, at p.36,April-May, 2004: http://www. of speech:The Conversation, Wikipedia: http://simple.wikipedia. realtimearts.net/article/60/7410 March 5th 2012, at: http://thecon- org/wiki/Hector_Burton 64. Doctor Stan Florek: Truganini: versation.com/silencing-lex-wot- 53. Public works: Tjanpi Desert A life reflecting the tragic his- ton-palm-island-riot-decision-a- Weavers: Arts, The Australian, May tory of the first Tasmanians, blow-for-freedom-of-speech-5666 10, 2012, http://www.theaustral- June 14, 2011; Nature, Culture, 40. Tall Man: Vernon Ah Kee, Media ian.com.au/arts/review/public- Discover, Australian Museum: Release, Gertrude Contemporary works-tjanpi-desert-weavers/ http://australianmuseum.net.au/ Gallery, at: http://gertrude.org.au/ story-fn9n8gph-1226356126172 Truganini-1812-1876 docs/vernon-ah-kee.pdf 54. The Seven Sisters Dreaming 65. Rrala manta manta (strong: long 41. Vernon Ah Kee, Sovereign Warrior: Story: http://www.kitezh.com/ way, long time): Artists. http:// Garry Jones, Feature, Artlink, Vol. sevensisters/7sisters.htm#A07 rralamantamanta.wordpress.com/ 30, No.1, 2010, at: https://www. 55. Cardoso, Maria F., & Clouston, artists/ artlink.com.au/articles/3361/ Alison: Tjanpi Desert Weavers: 66. The Devil We Know, a pa- vernon-ah-kee-sovereign-warrior/ Kuru Alala – Eyes Open, Education per by Gregory Lehman at: 42. Norman Tindale, Wikipedia, at: Kit, Teachers Notes: http://www. www.academia.edu 4801593/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ magsq.com.au/_dbase_upl/ The_Devil_We_Know Norman_Tindale TEACHERS%20NOTES%20 And: (Accessed on June 14, 2104) with%20logo.pdf PDF: robinsons_cup_gallery-libre. 43. Vernon Ah Kee: About the artwork, 56. Victor Griss, curator: Strait PDF MCA, at: https://www.mca.com. Protean: The Art of Brian 67. Rex Greeno: An Ingenious au/collection/work/2006111/ Robinson, Barkly Square, May 1, Construction by Carol Cooper, 44. British nuclear tests at Maralinga, 2014: http://barklysquare.com. Senior Curator, Collections at Wikipedia: au/community_blog/blog/strait- Development at the NGA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ protean-art-brian-robinson-brian- Canberra, at: http://www.nma.gov. British_nuclear_tests_at_Maralinga robinson/ au/museum_magazine/issue_three/ 45. About us: Warrakurna Artists at: 57. Brian Robinson: Woven Fish an_ingenious_construction http://warakurnaartists.com.au/ 1,Aboriginal Art Directory: http:// 68. Marianne Riphagen: Thompson, about-us/ gallery.aboriginalartdirectory.com/ Christian Bumbarra: Culture 46. ‘Half-caste’:in Australia; Wikipedia, aboriginal-art/brian-robinson/ Warriors,Australian Indigenous Art at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ woven-fish-1.php Triennial, NGA: http://nga.gov.au/ Half-caste#Australia 58. Brian Robinson: Contemporary Exhibition/NIAT07/Detail.cfm?IRN SCREEN EDUCATION © ATOM 2014 (Accessed June 14, 2014) KickArts: August 23 1898 – Today I =163876&BioArtistIRN=6549&Mn 47. Anita Heiss: Government policy collected with much zeal...: http:// uID=1 in relation to Aboriginal peo- shop.kickarts.org.au/products/ 69. Christian Thompson, website, at: ple: Barani: Sydney’s Aboriginal brian-robinson-august-23-1898 http://www.christianthompson. People: http://www.sydneybarani. 59. Brian Robinson: Recipient of the net/#!biography/c1fam/c28g/ com.au/sites/government-policy- Western Australian Indigenous Art image114i in-relation-to-aboriginal-people/ Award 2013, Art Gallery of Western 70. Stephanie Radok, Editorial: 55 Making History,Artlink, Vol 32, php?e=2010-09-23&g=1&y=2010 studioarts/studioindex.aspx) 2012: https://www.artlink.com.au/ 74. born in darkness before dawn, and: articles/3778/making-history/ 2013, Nicole Foreshew: Place http://www.vcaa.vic.edu. 71. Kate Spain: Gawler-born Projections, Eora Journey, City Art: au/Documents/exams/ Indigenous artist Christian http://www.cityartsydney.com.au/ studioarts/2011studioarts-cpr-w. Thompson makes history in the cityart/projects/PlaceProjections. pdf UK: The Adelaide Magazine, The asp 78. VCE Sociology: http://www. Advertiser, August 28 2013: http:// 75. Links to Australian National vcaa.vic.edu.au/Documents/vce/ www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/ Curriculum: Australian History sociology/SociologySD-2012.pdf south-australia/gawler-born- http://www.acara.edu.au/verve/_ and: indigenous-artist-christian-thomp- resources/australian_curriculum_-_ http://www.vcaa.vic.edu. son-makes-history-in-the-uk/ history.pdf au/Documents/exams/ story-fni6uo1m-1226705954754 75. VCE Art: http://www.vcaa.vic.edu. sociology/2013/2013sociology- 72. Christopher Morton, Curator of au/Pages/vce/studies/art/artindex. cpr-w.pdf Photograph Collections: Spiritual aspx 78. VCE Australian History: http:// repatriation and the archive in 76.VCE Media Studies: http://www. www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/ Christian Thompson’s We Bury vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/stud- vce/studies/history/aushistory/ Our Own: What’s On, Pitt Rivers ies/media/mediaindex.aspx aushistoryindex.aspx Museum, 26 June 2012 – 17 and: 79. Context: The Imaginative February 2013: http://www.prm. http://www.vcaa.vic.edu. Landscape: http://www. ox.ac.uk/christianthompson.html au/Documents/exams/ vcestudyguides.com/guides/ 73. Christian Thompson: Chalk media/2013/2013media-cpr-w.pdf context/imaginative-landscape Horse Exhibitions: http://www. 77. VCE Studio Arts: www.vcaa. chalkhorse.com.au/exhibition. vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/studies/
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