Messages from Burrowye

I received a wonderful email from Charlotte Houston from Burrowye this morning. It is amazing to me that I have been able to connect to the people who live on the lands that my great Grandfather owned over 100 years ago and then to find that they are interested and supportive of my project of disrupting the comfortable and blinkered understanding of our history in this country. It is proof that transformation is possible. Sometimes it is hard to see the changes that are happening in our awareness as there is so much evidence that nothing has changed, however under the surface of the tide that comes and goes in human compassion is a blooming of new thought. While the surface seems to be rough and impenetrable and forever marred by denial, wars, brutality and greed, I think our tendency to be drawn to drama makes us focus only on the bad things about humanity.
Charlotte tells me of many things in the upper Murray that are hopeful and people who are open to considering a new way of looking at history, one that encompasses some kind of integrity with how we reconcile with Aboriginal people and the land. She has invited me to participate in an event up there and hold a 'drawing room conversation' about my project. This makes me think about the Sit Down at my Table project that I did when I worked at ANTAR (Australians for Native Title and Reconciliation) It involved a series of dinner parties held in the homes of ANTAR members where my friend and play write Johnny Harding and I bought Aboriginal people as guests to these dinners. Over dinner we discussed reconciliation and I video taped the conversations which Johnny used to write a play called Second Helping that was then performed at the Art House in Nth Melb.
I am thinking that the next step is a series of 'drawing room' conversations which might involve my chairs. I am beginning to collect chairs for my 'Post Colonial Drawing Room' however it seems to me that we are not yet ready for a 'Post' Colonial Drawing room. It is still a 'Colonial' drawing room conversation that needs to be had.
I have started working on a sweet Victorian arm chair that is covered in stains. I have drawn around the stains and am beginning to embroider them.

Also working on the pinned faces that are all of me. Seems to be cathartic somehow. Half punishment and half healing acupuncture - referencing the Chinese history that is as long a part of the Australian story as the British one.

I also opened a new exhibition in the gallery I curate by my long term friend and often collaborator Gayle Maddigan. Her work PASSAGE THROUGH CEREMONY is about blood lines, genocide and survival. At the opening there were tears shed by some people and everyone was moved by this powerful work. The images are missing an amazing soundtrack which add to their power. The exhibition is on until Aug 24th and I believe it is a must to see. To walk through this exhibition is to begin to get a small sense of what Professor Michael McDaniel says in his incredible speech during reconciliation week "we need to tell you what it has been like to be the bi-product of your success"
The full speech is 17 minutes you will not regret spending. An amazing speech!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8LP4GSk0Y0

Passage Through Ceremony by Gayle Maddigan

Passage Through Ceremony by Gayle Maddigan