Birrarung dhum-djerring – Birrarung speak together

Indigo Perry (writer), Andrew Darling (musician), Brooke Wandin (fibre artist) and Ryan Tews (film and photography) – went to a number of places along the upper reaches of Birrarung (Yarra River). They visited Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung Country in East Warburton before travelling to a granite plateau in deep wilderness, said to be a traditional meeting place for Wurundjeri/Woiwurrung, Taungurung and Gunnar/Kurnai language groups, on Mount Baw Baw, close to Birrarung’s source.

The artists set out to have a dialogue between themselves and Birrarung, on Country, about Reconciliation and river ecology. Rather than talking, this was a conversation through the artists’ creative artforms. They made a film-work with soundscape, a series of creative-writing fragments and a fibre-artwork which is a topographical depiction of Birrarung. This exhibition is comprised of those works. The experience of the Birrarung dhum-djerring – Birrarung speak-together profoundly affected the artists, who captured their impressions in audio recordings made shortly afterwards. Artist Hineani Tunoa Roberts created a series of projections for the exhibition.