A time for reflection, compassion & togetherness
Thank you to our supporters who have joined us in the space during the past couple of weeks – borrowed a library book by a leading First Peoples thinker, enjoyed a conversation over a cup of tea or sake while exploring the exhibition or attended our recent Open House with resident artists Ouyang Yu and Jessye Wdowin-McGregor – also our first multilingual poetry reading circle where audiences read poems in their chosen mother tongue.
It was heart-warming to come together to listen to poetry spoken and sung in Thai, Chinese, English (including old English/Gaelic and translations from Russian) and Farsi - from Naarm, Thailand, Iran, Scotland, Estonia and America - the words of Ouyang Yu, Sunthorn Phu, H. E. Sayeh, Robert Burns, Lisel Mueller and Larissa Joonas, were a reminder of the beautiful, diverse fabric of our society and the need for deep listening, compassion and openness when we encounter something unknown to us. This Saturday, 28 October, we have a special artist-in-conversation event with resident artist Jessye, who will be speaking with us about her making process, intersections between her sculpting/casting projects initiated as part of the residency and her hand-made photography and collage practice and the experience of working with Ouyang and his poetry alongside her visual art practice. Next Sunday, 5 November, we have esteemed Filipina-Australian writer, performer, community arts facilitator and scholar Merlinda Bobis joining us from Ngunnawal Country in Canberra to talk about her book, The Kindness of Birds, which we stock in our shop. We'll explore Merlinda's book, birds, trees and some lovely uncanny connections with the project of our residents, as well as Merlinda's new book under development. On Friday, 10 November, we invite you to the closing celebration for Ouyang Yu & Jessye Wdowin-McGregor / Ekphrasis featuring Found Poetry, a live music improvisation by esteemed composer and world-leading performing artist Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 and the final exhibit by the resident artists. On Sunday, 12 November, we have our next Art Walk to the Centre for Contemporary to see James Tylor (Nunga (Kaurna Miyurna), Māori (Te Arawa) and European (English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Norwegian) : Turrangka…in the shadows, which surveys a decade of Tylor's exceptional practice. On Saturday, 18 November, we're honoured to have esteemed poet, writer, translator and editor Ouyang Yu running a master poetry workshop. His workshop will be on how to write in-situ and what it means to 'found' poetry. Ouyang is a gifted orator and teacher with prodigious energy and a great sense of humour. We encourage writers of all levels to join this special occasion. Finally, on Friday, 1 December, we have our final Open House with the resident artists – our second multilingual poetry reading circle. To book your place for one of these events, please press the button below. In closing, we stand with the First Peoples of Australia at this traumatic time of grieving that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples face following the referendum result. We passionately believe in the Uluru Statement From the Heart and the broader need for a Treaty in Victoria and this broader country we now call Australia. Our organisation remains committed to doing the work First Peoples' leaders in Australia advise. Some collective insights were released by the Uluru Statement leaders yesterday, which we feel go to the heart of what we need to spend our time understanding more deeply. It's a statement that has been shared by many creatives within our artistic community. We will be focusing on listening, truth-telling and actions on the issue of racism and a range of other issues, but most particularly, voicing our support for a Treaty for Victoria. One of our key focuses will continue to be spreading the word of leading First Peoples writers and artists in this country who have worked in this space for decades and providing space for them to lead in-person conversations with all parts of society. To borrow a book by a leading First Peoples writer, please visit our library catalogue. You can request a title here. Or, pop in, and we can share some more details. We also have many exceptional titles available to purchase via our shop, and several new ones will be added over the coming weeks. We encourage you to check out the vitally important 'Raise the Age' campaign and sign the petition today if you haven't already done so. In formulating our next steps, we continue to look to Aboriginal-owned businesses and leading charitable and creative organisations that have been and continue to lead the way: Magabala Books, Clothing the Gaps, Magpie Goose, Ngali, Djirri Djirri, Blaklash, Blakdot Gallery and the Indigenous Literacy Foundation, to name just a few. Magpie Goose has released some practical advice on how to be a good ally post-referendum: read it here.
In the meantime, amidst the pain and division sown by the referendum and all of the terrible pain and suffering around the world at this dark time, we are looking to the words of artists like Lucinda Williams above to inspire deep thinking and meaningful action. As Kaurareg Aboriginal and Kalkalgal, Erubamle Torres Strait Islander man, assistant national secretary of the Maritime Union of Australia and esteemed author Thomas Mayo said in his recent article for The Saturday Paper: The Heart of the nation is still here. It always was, and it always will be, waiting to be recognised by our fellow Australians. Whether you voted "Yes" or "No", I say to you with humility and respect, open your hearts and your minds henceforth. The truth should be unifying, not divisive. With warmest wishes of hope, kindness and love
correspondences Studio
Always was
Always will be
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