On Thursday 9th December, the WA Boola Bardip Museum opened its doors for the launch of its newest exhibition ‘Belong’.
Belong is a culturally rich multimedia exhibition using a mixture of portraits, languages, and landscapes across 5 exhibits which bring together the work of photo artist Martine Perret, who focuses on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, connection to the land and the role our bodies play in relating emotions. Martine achieves this through stunning photography, video, audio, dance, and painting.
The exhibition also combines previous projects Ngala Wongga and Margillee with new collaborations involving choreographer and dancer Dalisa Pigram, artist Edie Ulrich, Elder Vivian Brockman Webb, and music composer and video/sound editor Jonathan Mustard.
For many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, land is much more than soil, rocks, or minerals – it is fundamental to identity and way of life. In this exhibition, Martine celebrates stories and new perspectives from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from across the State.
Belong provokes visitors to explore and understand the language connecting feeling, culture, and country through the 5 exhibits:
Nijiniji - A video performance by Dalisa Pigram depicting what it means for our physical bodies to be 'joined' to our emotions
Mitchee Youp Bullargar - Video installations depicting Elder, Vivian Brockman Webb's deep knowledge of Country
Juruyinku Kujuyinkuya - A light installation created by Elder, Edie Ulrich showcasing the language of emotion in Tjupan language
Ngala Wongga - Stories and songs from some of the last remaining speakers of over nine different languages from the Goldfields of Western Australia
The Margillee Cube - A lightbox exploring interconnectedness with the land, culture, and language as told by Doreen Harris
These exhibitions highlight the link between Elders, language speakers and the land, and emphasises the cultural importance of languages and have been launched to celebrate the UNESCO Decade of Indigenous Languages (2022-2032).
Visit the WA Boola Bardip museum to experience this stunning, free exhibition running from 11th December 2021- 30th January 2022.