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First Nations cultures

Jabu Birriny (Land and Sea) consultation

By Sophia Sambono | 5 September 2017

For our third consultation visit with the Yarrabah Art Centre it was all hands on deck to finalise exhibition planning and capture digital stories for Jabu Birriny (Land and Sea).

Exhibition planning with Yarrabah artists

Exhibition planning with Yarrabah artists

Participating artists Philomena Yeatman, Edna and Ruben Ambrym, Valmai Pollard and Elverina Johnson all took time out to share stories about their artistic practice and their home of Yarrabah. The final films will feature in the display and online, revealing the influence that this unique environment has on their artworks and lifestyle.

Andre Gibbs filming at Gribble Point

Andre Gibbs filming at Gribble Point

Art centre manager Darrell Harris shared his story too and helped us finalise logistics for the exhibition and wade through a mountain of paperwork!

Katina and Freja measuring works for the exhibition

Katina and Freja measuring works for the exhibition

An important aspect of our collaborative curatorial approach is allowing space and time for artists to tell their stories in their own words in their own ways. Providing necessary context to the exhibition we visited significant sites including Gribble Point, Bada Badu where the river meets the sea, and the rainforest boardwalk where we heard stories about the plants, wildlife and history of the area.

 

Rainforest Boardwalk Yarrabah

Rainforest Boardwalk Yarrabah

We visited the fabulous staff at Yarrabah Indigenous Knowledge Centre (YKC) to discuss plans for a dual location launch for the exhibition. Celebrations will be held simultaneously in Brisbane and in Yarrabah with a video link to connect the formalities.

Where the river meets the sea - Bada Badu

Where the river meets the sea - Bada Badu

We were also fortunate to be in town to catch the Cairns City Lights project, a 'visual response to country', large scale animation of Aunty Edna, Aunty Philomena and Valmai's works, projected on the Cairns City Library.

Cairns City Lights - Resonance

Cairns City Lights - Resonance

Jabu Birriny (Land and Sea) opens in the kuril dhagun space on level 1 on 22 October 2017 until 4 March 2018.

Preview tours and artist workshops will be held 10am - 1pm 21 October as part of opening celebrations; bookings essential, fees apply.

 

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