This week I have been focusing on Indigenous cinema as it ties in well with my review topic being Bran Nue Dae. I watched Ten Canoes, Samson and Delilah, Storm Boy and Rabbit Proof Fence. Unfortunately not one of these films was joyful. Despite all of them being beautifully made, especially from a cinematographic point of view, they were depressing and saddening films. This is not necessarily a bad thing but it does raise many questions about Indigenous cinema and perhaps why it can be overlooked by Australians. Why is it that suffering is all that is being focused on in Indigenous cinema? When I compare these films with Bran Nue Dae, the thing that stands out the most is the joy! The film is happy, simple and colorful, these other films can be informing and beautiful, and there are some happy moments, but there is a serious lack of happiness in Indigenous cinema. The Indigenous population holds many Australian icons including Ernie Dingo and Deborah Mailman. Why is it that as talented as they are, they are being forced into such depressing roles?
I actually find it very frustrating. I feel absolutely guilty and sad after watching most of these films.
As the late Justine Saunders said, "I am sick of being raped over and over and over again in these films."
Week Two: Artists, Artists, Artists!
This week I have been focusing mainly on researching Bran Nue Dae for my reflective paper. But, I have also been looking at different Indigenous artists because, to be honest, I don't recognise many Indigenous Australian artists. So this week I have looked at three:
Michael Riley:
Basically Michael Riley was a photographer and filmaker who sadly passed away in 2004 at the age of 44. In 1993 he founded one of the first Aboriginal film production agencies, Blackfella Films. His work often celebrated Aboriginal women and at times centred on Colonisation. In 2007/2008 a major retrospective of Riley's work was held in The National Gallery Of Australia. Here is some that I found particularly moving:
Untitled, 1992 from the series Sacrifice
Hetti, 1990
His work is sad. I know that sounds like a pretty basic explanation but it is. The first image is very moving but the second image is deeply emotive. With the woman looking away from the camera and her head tilted down slightly, the image is so delicate.
Nicolas Rothwell:
Nicolas Rothwell is a Darwin-based arts writer and author. The majority of his articles can be found on The Australian newspaper website. However, his book Another Country is a collection of some of his best work. Honestly, I am not entirely sure what I feel about his writing. To me, it seems that his work is overly critical and, at times, sarcastic and uncaring! From what I have read, he seems to conform to some unflattering Aboriginal stereotypes. But then he can also seem to stand up for the Indigenous community and blame the Australian Government for Indigenous issues....he is a confusing man!!
Gordon Bennett:
Gordon Bennett is one of my favourite artists and one that I can recognise well. ALL of his work is deeply moving and terrifying. He attacks many different themes but mostly focuses on Aboriginal displacement, the colonisation of Australia and the feeling of being an outcast. SOme of my favourites include:
The Coming of the Light, 1987
Double Vision, 2000
What I remember most from originally looking at Gordon Bennett's work is that during a video of him painting (I wish I could remember what it was!) he painted all of the derogatory words for Indigenous people on a canvas and then painted his imagery over the top. You would not even know that it is there but he uses it as a venting tool.
Michael Riley:
Basically Michael Riley was a photographer and filmaker who sadly passed away in 2004 at the age of 44. In 1993 he founded one of the first Aboriginal film production agencies, Blackfella Films. His work often celebrated Aboriginal women and at times centred on Colonisation. In 2007/2008 a major retrospective of Riley's work was held in The National Gallery Of Australia. Here is some that I found particularly moving:
Untitled, 1992 from the series SacrificeHetti, 1990His work is sad. I know that sounds like a pretty basic explanation but it is. The first image is very moving but the second image is deeply emotive. With the woman looking away from the camera and her head tilted down slightly, the image is so delicate.
Nicolas Rothwell:
Nicolas Rothwell is a Darwin-based arts writer and author. The majority of his articles can be found on The Australian newspaper website. However, his book Another Country is a collection of some of his best work. Honestly, I am not entirely sure what I feel about his writing. To me, it seems that his work is overly critical and, at times, sarcastic and uncaring! From what I have read, he seems to conform to some unflattering Aboriginal stereotypes. But then he can also seem to stand up for the Indigenous community and blame the Australian Government for Indigenous issues....he is a confusing man!!
Gordon Bennett:
Gordon Bennett is one of my favourite artists and one that I can recognise well. ALL of his work is deeply moving and terrifying. He attacks many different themes but mostly focuses on Aboriginal displacement, the colonisation of Australia and the feeling of being an outcast. SOme of my favourites include:
The Coming of the Light, 1987Double Vision, 2000What I remember most from originally looking at Gordon Bennett's work is that during a video of him painting (I wish I could remember what it was!) he painted all of the derogatory words for Indigenous people on a canvas and then painted his imagery over the top. You would not even know that it is there but he uses it as a venting tool.
Week One: Another quick point!
Well, it has been a long first week back but I have given myself a head start on my assignments and have been enjoying the preparation for my review. I have chosen to use Bran Nue Dae for my reflective paper mainly because I feel that it is an uplifting and inspiring film, which there are little of in relation to Aboriginal cinema. Anyway, other than very much enjoying being able to watch this film again, I have also been looking at the Bangarra Dance Theatre. This has been one of the most enjoyable web searches that I have done as there is nothing but good reviews and attitudes towards these dancers. This is a link to their site..Bangarra Dance Theatre.
Just a quick one today, enjoy!
The video above gives you a brief idea of what the Bangarra Dance Theatre does. I have been stalking youtube and watching so many videos of the group, if you just type Bangarra Dance Theatre there are lots of videos to see.
Also just to add a bit of humour to my blog today, there is an episode of 'Kath and Kim' that features the Bangarra Dance Theatre choreographer Stephen Page, it is hilarious but I can't find the clip online! However, it is series four and the episode is called Roots. Kath finds out that her Grandmother was Aboriginal and so attempts to join the Bangarra Dance Theatre to celebrate her roots.Just a quick one today, enjoy!
Week One, Day One.
Hello!
This is my first blog entry as an Indigenous Cultures student. After a pretty quick lecture on Wednesday, my tutorial group brought up some good points about Indigenous art that, I think, articulated how many people must feel when attempting to discuss said work. During the lecture, Tony Collins mentioned the Wondjina which are cloud and rain spirits, who created or influenced the landscape and the people near. The Wondjina is part of Aboriginal cosmology and belongs to the Mowanjum people in Western Australia.
One of the ladies in my tutorial made a great point when she described how inferior she felt to actually comment on these ancient paintings/stories. I think many people must feel this way. These paintings cause me to have a deep gut-reaction despite the fact that I am not Aboriginal. I still feel the intimidating power of these beings and they have a strong presence. These paintings are so ancient and rare that all Australians should feel the power of them. At the least, they are 65000 years old and are definitely the oldest figurative paintings in the world, therefore they are also significant to the whole world.
I feel that Aboriginal cosmology and The Dreaming has a highly satisfying belief system, being connected to the land and environment are especially important. Looking at this as someone who does not belong to any religion, a connectedness to the Earth seems profound as discarding this has led to so much destruction of our environment. Spiritually, The Dreaming is a very powerful concept but as I have only just started this course, I do not feel that I have enough knowledge on this topic to make an informed statement. I remember at primary school that we studied The Dreaming in Art class. We painted The Rainbow Serpent on the asphalt at school and it is still there now. I don't quite remember why and I only faintly remember the story but I do remember that even then, I felt small compared to these ancient stories.
This is my first blog entry as an Indigenous Cultures student. After a pretty quick lecture on Wednesday, my tutorial group brought up some good points about Indigenous art that, I think, articulated how many people must feel when attempting to discuss said work. During the lecture, Tony Collins mentioned the Wondjina which are cloud and rain spirits, who created or influenced the landscape and the people near. The Wondjina is part of Aboriginal cosmology and belongs to the Mowanjum people in Western Australia.
One of the ladies in my tutorial made a great point when she described how inferior she felt to actually comment on these ancient paintings/stories. I think many people must feel this way. These paintings cause me to have a deep gut-reaction despite the fact that I am not Aboriginal. I still feel the intimidating power of these beings and they have a strong presence. These paintings are so ancient and rare that all Australians should feel the power of them. At the least, they are 65000 years old and are definitely the oldest figurative paintings in the world, therefore they are also significant to the whole world.I feel that Aboriginal cosmology and The Dreaming has a highly satisfying belief system, being connected to the land and environment are especially important. Looking at this as someone who does not belong to any religion, a connectedness to the Earth seems profound as discarding this has led to so much destruction of our environment. Spiritually, The Dreaming is a very powerful concept but as I have only just started this course, I do not feel that I have enough knowledge on this topic to make an informed statement. I remember at primary school that we studied The Dreaming in Art class. We painted The Rainbow Serpent on the asphalt at school and it is still there now. I don't quite remember why and I only faintly remember the story but I do remember that even then, I felt small compared to these ancient stories.
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