An interest in how the ancient and the modern co-exist is nothing new for me. During the week, I work at an agency which produces - amongst other things - state of the art immersive experiences, while at the weekend, I volunteer as a gallery guide at Plymouth’s museum, The Box.
I was intrigued to see how the latest exhibition at The Box, Songlines: Tracking the Seven Sisters, would achieve its aim to immerse people in the creation stories of one of the world’s most ancient cultures – the Aboriginal people of Australia.
The exhibition takes visitors on a journey in the footsteps of the Seven Sisters, through artworks, sculpture, animation, digital installation and immersive film. In Aboriginal culture, the Seven Sisters were chased through the land by the evil sorcerer Wati Nyiru, changing form as they go and shaping the landscapes of Australia. Eventually, they ascend to the sky and become the Pleiades cluster of stars.
So, what can event leaders learn from the approach taken to this award winning exhibition and the media plaudits it has earned?
Image courtesy of The Box, Plymouth
Image courtesy of The Box, Plymouth
Snake sculptures and kuḻaṯa (spears) 1982–2001 by Ikula, Niningka Lewis, Mildred Nyunkiya Lyons, Nora, Jean Inyalanka Burke, Billy Cooley, Pulya Taylor, Nellie Nungarrayi Patterson, Tiger, Kanginy, Reggie Jackson, Walter Pukutiwara and Mr McLean, Maṟuku Arts © the artists/Copyright Agency 2020. Image: National Museum of Australia. Image courtesy of The Box, Plymouth
Minyma Punu Kungkarangkalpa (Seven Sisters Tree Women) 2018 by Tjanpi Desert Weavers: senior artists Nyurpaya Burton, Illawanti Ken, Rene Kulitja, Niningka Lewis, Mary Katatjuku Pan, Tjunkaya Tapaya, Carlene Thompson and Yaritji Young; assistant artists Julie Anderson, Maureen Douglas, Naomi Kantjuri, Serena Ken, Michelle Lewis, Wanatjura Lewis and Maringka Tunkin © the artists, Tjanpi Desert Weavers. Image courtesy of The Box, Plymouth
Artists from Tjanpi Desert Weavers let their tjanpi sisters fly, Papulankutja, Western Australia, 2015. Image: Annieka Skinner, Tjanpi Desert Weavers
This exhibition brings together all of the elements of an effective event: a powerful narrative, an experience enhanced by innovative technology and engaging content. Even its setting enhances the questions raised by the content. Plymouth was the start of many journeys which ended in the colonisation of other nations, with Captain Cook setting off from the city in 1768. This raises clear questions about the versions of history we have been taught, how we help other voices to be heard and why it’s important to have experiences that immerse us in another culture and way of thinking.
Banner image credits montage photographs by Sarah Kenderdine, Peter Morse and Paul Bourke. Seven Sisters rock art reproduced with the permission of Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara and the Walinynga (Cave Hill) traditional owners.