Roads Cross

This week I visited the 'Roads Cross' exhibition at the Flinders Gallery. It was an interesting experience to view pieces of 'Contemporary Indigenous art' as I hadn't previously recognised any in everyday life before. I find the concept of Indigenous art influencing contemporary art to be something that has a lot of potential. Mixing old and new can bring together varied age demographics and is a way that mankind can document the changes that occur throughout time. It is also a means to bridge the gap between our two cultures and develop understanding about one another.
However, I did tend to find that I was confused by the actual meaning or intent of some of the pieces, I actually had to read the description to be able to appreciate the purpose.
Some of the pieces were simply stunning to look at and really embraced the Indigenous appreciation for the earth and its materials, but simply used them in a different way that was quite contemporary.

 Left: 'Drift' (2008), Lauren Berkowitz

http://blogs.flinders.edu.au/flinders-news/tag/roads-cross/   accessed 26-08-12

As most of the work was produced by non-Indigenous artists it was really intriguing to see how they interpreted their understanding of Indigenous culture into their work. There is definitely a difference in the level of understanding and cultural relevancy that I could identify between traditional Indigenous art done by Indigenous people and that which is done by non-Indigenous people. The concept of the cultural cross over is debatable in my own mind. In some ways I find it to be a positive step towards cross-cultural understanding and acceptance, however, it also poses the problem of losing the significance and meaning of traditional Indigenous art. These people used their art to record their stories and history for future generations, and by adapting it to a non-Indigenous context, that richness of meaning and depth of importance is somewhat lost in translation, it becomes a piece to be admired for its aesthetics rather than its meaning.
Personally, I feel as though in order for Contemporary Indigenous art to be successful, non-Indigenous artists need to experience the culture first hand, spend time living with Indigenous cultures and practice their ways in order to gain that true understanding of their art. There was definitely evidence of this amongst some of the works as they possessed that true honesty and passion which implied the artist had a close connection to their work.

The Colebrook Reconciliation Park

This week I visited the Colebrook Reconciliation Park at Eden Hills. 
It is home to a collection of truly moving and historical pieces of Indigenous art and sculpture that represents the history and heartache that was brought about by the assimilation of half-caste children into western society. As I strolled amongst the native trees and read about the history of this site I could feel this strong sense of spirituality radiating from the earth. To have an area such as this that has been left virtually untouched by construction provides a refreshing escape from the hustle and bustle of city living. It provides this exclusivity that registers a sense of peace, despite that pain that this particular site had caused in the past.
The sculpture of 'The Grieving Mother' is a hauntingly stunning piece that allows everyone to connect with it and understand the underlying emotion and story that it represents, for most people have lost something near and dear to them in their life, it may not be on the same level, but it is still relatable. 

 'The Grieving Mother'  'The Pool of Tears'

'The Pool of Tears' was my favourite piece at the site. The detail and emotion portrayed in the carved faces of the fountain was amazing. It really makes you realise the vast majority of people that an event such as this has an effect on, and questions whether the white settlers were too naive to realise that they were effectively tearing families apart and causing more pain than was necessary.
Scattered around the site were traditional Indigenous dot paintings which strengthened the cultural ties to the site and made me feel like an 'outsider' of sorts looking in on history and seeing the story from the side that we aren't normally educated about. The recreation park also provided a small camping area that was very environmentally friendly and reflective of camp sites the Indigenous people lived in. It made the park very inviting and showed me that it is a place where families are encouraged to come and reflect on the past and move on with their lives as times have changed and society has become more accepting. On the wall facing the road is painted a quote that I found to be very fitting and summarised the significance of the site;

'We cannot forget the past, but we can come together and unite as one, in friendship and forgiveness and honouring each other's culture'.

Tindale Masks

When at the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Museum, I came across these 'Tindale Masks'. These were worn for an initiation performance by young Aboriginal men in 1947. 

The names given to these masks, I believe, tend to reflect the vigour and energy of the performances in which they were worn. The material which these masks were made of appear to be a representation of the strength and durability of the boys that were soon to become men. 

The colours and materials used reflect the Aboriginal people's strong association with the land, in the way that they are very organic and the colour palette is quite natural and taken directly from the earth. 

I feel that the shapes and actual subject matter is quite unusual and interesting in comparison to what I have grown up viewing. It shows to me, the way in which different cultures have different interpretations of beauty or fear. It also indicates to me that this must be the way in which the Aboriginal people visualised characters from their dreaming stories. 

From just viewing these masks, I can already begin to imagine the type of dances that would be performed with these masks.

Tindale Masks: Australian Aboriginal Cultures Museum

Log Coffins

I came across these artefacts whilst on our museum visit and the concept and story behind them attracted me. 

It is a tradition of the Aboriginal people that when someone dies, their bodies are painted in the relevant totemic symbols of their people, sung over and mourned. Their body is then taken to their traditional homeland and left to decompose. Later on, their bones are collected and placed inside of these hollowed out logs. White ants are used to eat away the wood from the middle, creating a tube like structure. Once the bones have been placed inside, the log coffins are placed upright and left to decompose.

These coffins are beautifully decorated with totemic designs of their clan, and the bones are painted with red ochre. 

This entire burial ceremony is said to ensure the safe arrival of the spirit of the deceased on its perilous journey from the earth to the land of the dead.

Log Coffins in the Aboriginal Memorial (National Gallery of Australia)

Found at:   http://nga.gov.au/AboriginalMemorial/home.cfm

I feel that this entire process shows how much the Aboriginal people valued the land in the fact that they are giving their bodies back to mother nature who has given them so much. The respect that these people have for members of their clan is truly inspirational. The ceremonies that they conduct show how the Aboriginal people embrace death as another part of life and believe that there is something to look forward to beyond the grave. And because there is this strong belief, their families want to provide safe passage for their loved ones. Examples of such respect is beautiful to see within cultures, maybe more so because it is something not highly evident in our own society. That is one of the issues I have, being part of a western cultural group. We have been brought up lacking the education and enforcement of true values such as respect, and consequently, this causes major rifts in our inner social groups. In this sense, I envy the Aboriginal people and their overall sense of love and family, and their commitment to one another. 

Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery

After our visit to the Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery, I began to truly understand the vast difference in our culture compared to that of the Aboriginal people. A lot of the stories relating to artefacts on display were left unspoken which I believe is because there can be a lot of misunderstanding when translated between two cultures, however, I feel there is also more to this. These artefacts are a representation of a culture that we have no relation to, so what the Aboriginal people may think is a very important part of their culture, we may not understand the significance. Whereas, we see those artefacts as a representation of how another culture learns,  grows and survives, and that in itself is where our interest is generated from. Having the equivalent objects/purposes we are familiar with, but approached from a different cultural perspective can be more meaningful to people who have no previous experience with the cultural background of the Aboriginal people. Methodologies can be such a powerful representation of a culture, and these objects in themselves are art and their stories can be understood just by knowing their purpose in everyday life.

This exhibition really reflected the Aboriginal people's connection with the Earth and nature. I have such an appreciation of how they were able to survive and prosper without the need for anything produced in the Industrial Revolution. Their tools and everything they needed to survive were taken from the Earth in such a way as not to disrupt the balance. With this comes such a feeling of unity and serenity. There is also the feeling that layers and layers of history, knowledge and meaning run deep within every artefact and artwork that has been preserved.

Well worth a visit!
Australian Aboriginal Cultures Gallery

Introduction

I grew up in a small town named Jervois, which lies along the River Murray near Tailem Bend. This area is the land of the Ngarrindjeri people - more exclusively the Ponde people. During school - both primary and secondary - I was exposed to some cultural learning about the Ngarrindjeri people. One of the main dreamtime stories I remember being told was that of the Rainbow Serpent and how it created the River Murray. This was one of my favourite stories and I found it extremely interesting as it explored the nature of 'creation' in such a different way to what Western society tries to instil in our minds.
Even closer to home, when I was a child, there were actually ancient Aboriginal canoes and weapons found buried beneath the river bank of our swamps which we graze our dairy cattle on. I found it all very exciting and interesting at the time to know that it had been there all along and we had never noticed it before. All of the artefacts were taken away by the Government and preserved.