Alternative title
Stone Fish TrapsLocation
Queensland Museum May – November 2024Start date
2024-02-02End date
2024-05-03Indigenous content
This research output may contain the names and images of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people now deceased. We apologise for any distress that may occur.Language
Kayardilt, LardilNotes
Ngurruwarra / Derndernyin was commissioned by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage (CABAH) in association with the Mornington Island Art Centre (Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation). The artwork is part of the CABAH Art Series, which initiated in 2018 to engage artists with aspects of CABAH’s research to make new work that responds to, questions, and interprets the research for broader audiences. Based and painted, filmed and recorded on the lands and waters of the Kaiadilt, Lardil, Yangkaal and Gangalidda Traditional Owners of the lands, seas and skies of the Wellesley Islands region.
The artwork and the scientific research have been supported by the Australian Government through the Australian Research Council Centres of Excellence scheme (Project Number CE170100015). Views expressed are those of the artists and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or Australian Research Council.
Dedicated to the late Dibirdibi Elsie Gabori, who passed away after the work was completed.Research statement
Background
Ngurruwarra/ Derndernyin: Stories of Country, Art and Ancestors is an audio/video installation accompanying a large-scale collaborative artwork by ten senior artists from Kaiadilt, Lardil, and Gangalidda communities. Ngurruwarra (Kayardilt) / Derndernyin (Lardil) translates as ‘stone fish traps’, a key element of material culture of the Wellesley Islands, believed to be the largest aquaculture structures built by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The AV reflects on displacement and exile: Kaiadilt people inhabited Bentinck Island for millennia before being forcibly relocated to Mornington Island in 1948, where many descendants reside today.
Contribution
I produced and directed the AV work. A 3-screen video installation documents the artists at work in their Mornington Island studio, inviting parallels between painted motifs, the landscape of Bentinck Island (Kaiadilt) and the stone fish traps. The audio soundscape features sound from across the Wellesley Islands, and a restored 1982 recording of the late Kaiadilt Elder Dugal Goongarra telling the Crane, Seagull and Rock Cod story in Kaidilt language which includes details of how fish traps are built. Kaiadilt transcription and English translation accompany the audio.
Significance
Commissioned by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage in association with the Mornington Island Art Centre (Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation). Premiered at Northsite Gallery, Cairns. Exhibited Queensland Museum and at University of Wollongong Art Gallery.
Collaborative modes of production of the AV, the curatorial process and the painted canvas; Returning of artwork to the artists; Presentation and translation of audio of the near-extinct Kaiadilt language, High-profile exhibitions at national regional cultural institutions - all speak to cultural and creative significance.Extent
3 screen video installation (3 x 12 minute videos)
1 audio (9 minute video)
Accompanying text and images materialEditor/Contributor(s)
Sousa G, Preece P, Evans N, Ulm S, LOOGATHA RA, LOOGATHA TBD, GABORI DE, KOHLER DA, GABORI DD, GABORI DA, LOOGATHA JJRB, GAVENOR G, THOMPSON KC, ROUGHSEY MJRecognition, awards & prizes
Recognitions, Awards and Prizes
Northsite Gallery, Cairns, February-May 2024.
Queensland Museum May – November 2024
University of Wollongong Art Gallery December 2024-25.
MEDIA:
https://www.abc.net.au/.../protection-call-for.../104277144
https://www.reconciliation.org.au/event/ngurruwarra-derndernyin-artists-in-conversation-panel-discussion/
https://westendmagazine.com/event/ngurruwarra-derndernyin-stone-fish-traps-of-the-wellesley-islands-queensland-museum-kurilpa/
https://www.familiesmagazine.com.au/event/stone-fish-traps/
EXHIBITION PAGES
https://epicaustralia.org.au/podcast/ngurruwarra-derndernyin-2/
https://northsite.org.au/exhibitions/ngurruwarra-derndernyin/
https://www.museum.qld.gov.au/kurilpa/whats-on/ngurruwarra-derndernyinEvent
Northsite Gallery, Cairns, February-May 2024.Publisher
Mornington Island Art Centre (Mirndiyan Gununa Aboriginal Corporation). Also exhibited at Northsite Gallery Cairns; Queensland Museum, Brisbane; University of Wollongong Art Gallery, Wollongong.Place of publication
Mornington Island
