The recent exhibition 'Piinpi', about contemporary Indigenous fashion, has a significance for Australian culture that is yet to be fully revealed. The themes covered by the exhibition are important because they demonstrate the intersection of the culture of First Nations communities with creative industries and the cultural economy. In attempting to address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, for example, it is critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources possessed by First Nations communities is their culture. Through the intellectual property that translates it into a form that can generate income in a contemporary economy, that culture is pivotal to jobs and to income. It may not be mining but it mines a far richer seam – authentic and rich content that has already been recognised internationally for its high value, just like our iron and coal. At a time when First Nations communities are talking increasingly about gaining greater control over their economic life, this is highly relevant.
After remotely reviewing ‘Piinpi’, the important exhibition about contemporary Indigenous fashion, when it first opened at Bendigo Art Gallery last year – at a time when I expected to never see the exhibition myself in the flesh (or the fabric) – I have finally seen it.
The exhibition especially interested me because while I fortuitously spent many years managing some of the most important Indigenous cultural programs of the Commonwealth Government, my main interest has always been creative industries and the cultural economy. A subsequent interest in the link between the two areas was inevitable.
 |
| Collaboration between Hope Vale Art Centre on Cape York Peninsula and Queensland University of Technology fashion design students was just one productive partnership. |
 |
| The connection between community artists and creative industries is even more pronounced in this example. Print designer Bede Tungatalum, designer Heather Wallace and costume maker Robyn Trott collaborated to create the wedding dress and underskirt which featured in the film 'Top End Wedding' in 2018, bridging fashion and design and screen. |
The exhibition finishes up at the National Museum of Australia this week, so if you are lucky enough not to be locked down or locked out or locked up, this is your final chance to see a truly iconic and ground-breaking exhibition. Otherwise you can buy the excellent catalogue or check out the websites of both Bendigo Art Gallery and the National Museum of Australia. Incidentally, my visit earlier today underlined how well set up and serious public institutions like museums are for continued operating during a pandemic.
Making history
The
full significance of the exhibition will not be recognised for some
time to come, because it is not just documenting history in the making,
it is itself contributing to that history. You can read about the
exhibition and its significance in more detail in my original article,
referred to below. ‘Piinpi’ is so important for several cross-cutting
reasons. Firstly it was developed by the fabulous Bendigo Art Gallery
and then toured to the National Museum in Canberra, underlining the
crucial importance of regional culture in our national culture –
particularly relevant if we are talking about the place of First Nations
culture in Australian culture generally.
Most importantly the exhibition demonstrates the intersection of the the culture of First Nations communities with creative industries and the cultural economy. In attempting to address the major issue of Indigenous disadvantage, for example, it is critical to recognise that one of the most important economic resources possessed by First Nations communities is their culture. Creative firms and other partners are already developing which draw on that cultural content, some of them mentioned in the ‘Piinpi’ exhibition.
See also
When one door closes, a window opens – moving on from another failed referendum
‘Looking
forward from the failed referendum on The Voice to Parliament, everyone
seems to be talking about how to find some positives after the result.
It’s definitely time for a lot of thinking and rethinking. As I digest
the result, I’m thinking about what it all means. There's quite a bit to
say and it’s definitely time for thoughtful length rather than the
slogans and catch phrases we’ve endured over the last few months.
Despite the setback, lots of change is still happening. From my personal
experience working alongside the community languages activists for some
15 years as they laboured to revive and maintain their First Nations
languages there are many specific examples of positive changes. I can't
see a failed referendum stopping their work. Their positive and
practical spirit had a deep impact on me. These were people building an
Australia for the future, drawing on the best parts of the past and
overcoming the worst. They were some of the most impressive people I
have ever met. I still remain close to many of them and I will remember
them to my dying day’, When one door closes, a window opens – moving on from another failed referendum.
‘Being involved with Australian culture means being involved in one way or another with First Nations arts, culture and languages – it’s such a central and dynamic part of the cultural landscape. First Nations culture has significance for First Nations communities, but it also has powerful implications for Australian culture generally. NAIDOC Week is a central part of that cultural landscape’, Always was, always will be – a welcome long view in NAIDOC week.
After a fashion – creative industries from First Nations culture
‘When I first heard that Victorian regional gallery, Bendigo Art Gallery, was planning an exhibition about contemporary Indigenous fashion I was impressed. The Gallery has had a long history of fashion exhibitions, drawing on its own collection and in partnership with other institutions, notably the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. It is fascinating to consider how a leading regional Australian museum and an internationally renowned museum on the global stage, while in many ways so different, have so much in common. The exhibition is far more than a single event in a Victorian regional centre – it is an expression of a much broader contemporary Indigenous fashion phenomenon nation-wide. It hints at the potential of the creative economy and creative industries to build stronger communities. Both the economic importance and the community and social importance of creativity and culture are tightly interlinked because of the way in which creativity and culture are integral to everyday life and the essential activities that make it up’, After a fashion – creative industries from First Nations culture.
Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community
‘The end of the year – after a bumper 24 months of disasters – is a time of closure. Many things have changed and many more will change – hopefully mainly for the better. In particular people who have made major contributions to Australia creativity and culture are moving on from their roles to take up new interests or interests they have been too busy to pursue. This is particularly the case in the arena of First Nations languages, where the recognition amongst Australians generally of the importance of languages and culture is part and parcel of salvaging community – for everyone’, Saving the farm – recognising Indigenous languages part of salvaging community.
The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived
‘We
are all used to being astounded as we see growing evidence of how
widespread contact and trade was across the breadth of the ancient
European world and with worlds far beyond. The Romans and the Vikings
and many after them all roamed far and wide. This is the stuff of a
hundred television documentaries that show just how interconnected the
ancient world was. Connection, not isolation, has always been the norm.
Seaways were bridges, not barriers – a way to bring people together, not
divide them. Now important archaeological work confirms just how
widespread that cross-cultural, international network was across the
whole of Northern Australia, long before the British arrived’, The Asian Century was underway long before the British arrived.
Standing out in the crowd – a regional road tour of arts and culture
A recent regional road tour through Victoria to South Australia showed how a focus on arts and culture is a pointer for how regional centres can take a path other than slow decline. It also showed how a small country on the edges of the mainstream can become a global design force by staying true to its language, locality and culture – the things that make it distinctive in a crowded, noisy marketplace dominated by big, cashed up players, Standing out in the crowd – a regional road tour of arts and culture.
Regional Australia recognised with City of Culture listing for Bendigo and surrounds
‘It’s
been apparent for some time that regional centres and smaller cities
and towns can be interesting and creative places and that cities that
have missed out on the benefits of globalisation in the era of
neo-liberalism can be brought back by community action and imagination.
It’s certainly not happening everywhere but it’s true of many lucky
regional towns and cities and some suburban and outer suburban areas –
witness Sydney, where it’s increasingly clear that the excitement never
really stopped at the edges of the inner city. The regional rollout of
interesting keeps on happening’, Regional Australia recognised with City of Culture listing for Bendigo and surrounds.
Designs on the future – how Australia’s designed city has global plans
‘In many ways design is a central part of the vocabulary of our time and integrally related to so many powerful social and economic forces – creative industries, popular culture, the digital transformation of society. Design is often misunderstood or overlooked and it's universal vocabulary and pervasive nature is not widely understood, especially by government. In a rapidly changing world, there is a constant tussle between the local and the national (not to mention the international). This all comes together in the vision for the future that is Design Canberra, a celebration of all things design, with preparations well underway for a month long festival this year. The ultimate vision of Craft ACT for Canberra is to add another major annual event to Floriade, Enlighten and the Multicultural Festival, filling a gap between them and complementing them all’, Designs on the future – how Australia’s designed city has global plans.
‘Creative organisations and artists often collect information and research in order to report to funding bodies about how grant funding has been used. Apart from the need to report on funding or to make a case to government, or society in general, the creative and cultural sector also needs evidence and understanding for its own purposes. While government funding bodies might need the sort of information collected from funded organisations, the organisations need it far more – for their planning and to report to their Boards and their communities. They need it to know whether what they are doing is effective and worthwhile – or whether they should be doing something else.’ Out of sight, out of mind – building knowledge on sustaining the creative and cultural sector in regional and remote Australia.
‘Across Australia, local communities facing major economic and social challenges have become interested in the joint potential of regional arts and local creative industries to contribute to or often lead regional revival. This has paralleled the increasing importance of our major cities as economic hubs and centres of innovation’, The immense potential of creative industries for regional revival.
‘What interests me in exhibitions about Aboriginal Australia is what they mean for Australians generally, even if most Australians won’t ever see them. After a mere 220 years, in many ways we are still only part way through making our home here. We haven’t yet figured out how to navigate this land properly. When I was at school we learned about so many doomed explorers misinterpreting the country, unable to find their way. Burke and Wills were the perfect examples, undone because they were unable to learn simple lessons offered by the local people on how to make edible the vast supplies of food surrounding them. They starved to death in a field of plenty. It made me realise that we can gain a much richer grasp of Australia through recognising that First Nations culture and heritage is part and parcel of our own Australian heritage’, Songlines – an ancient culture for a contemporary world.
History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research
‘Cultural research has long term impacts in terms of our developing body
of knowledge which stretch far into the future. Researchers are finding
stories in our major cultural collections that were never envisaged by
those originally assembling them – a process that will continue long
into the future. The collections of our major cultural institutions are
becoming increasingly accessible to the very people the collections are
drawn from and reflect. In the process they are generating greater
understanding about some of the major contemporary issues we face’, History all around us – the long term practical impact of cultural research.
The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement
‘What is especially significant about the Prime Minister, in his Closing
the Gap address, recognising the importance of Indigenous languages is
that this is the first time a Liberal leader has expressed such views.
It’s exciting because for progress to be made it is essential that there
is a jointly agreed position. This moment arises from the tireless work
over many decades of hundreds of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
language revivalists – surely one of the great positive unsung community
movements in Australian history. By their hard work they have managed
to change the profile of Indigenous languages in Australia.
Unfortunately the address reinforced the tendency of government to
overlook the success stories that are already happening in local
communities and look for big institutional solutions. I hope it doesn’t
turn out to be a missed opportunity’, The language of success – recognising a great unsung community movement.
Unfinished histories – encountering ‘Encounters’
‘A single exhibition can sum up many things. By bringing together so
many histories, stories and objects – particularly long-absent ones from
the British Museum – the 'Encounters' exhibition at the National Museum
presented a snapshot of the ongoing living history of Australia. Many
strands ran through it, reflecting the complexity of the realities it
tried to express. By successfully reflecting on the pressing issues it
raised we have some hope of getting beyond the vision of the Great South
Land of 18th and 19th Century ambition towards a truly great nation of
the 21st Century’, Unfinished histories – encountering ‘Encounters’.
Literature and languages – inaugural Indigenous literary festival sign of things to come
‘The inaugural Victorian Indigenous literary festival Blak & Bright
in February 2016 was a a very important event for Australian cultural
life. It aimed to promote and celebrate a diversity of Aboriginal and
Torres Strait Islander voices. It raised important questions about how
the movement to revive and maintain Indigenous languages – surely one of
the great positive unsung community movements in Australian history –
is related to ‘Australian literature’. Australian culture as a whole is
also inconceivable without the central role of Indigenous culture – how
would Australian literature look seen in the same light?’, Literature and languages – inaugural Indigenous literary festival sign of things to come.
When universes collide – ‘Encounters’ exhibition at National Museum of Australia
‘The Encounters exhibition at the National Museum of Australia, a once
in a lifetime event, makes you realise that astoundingly all this
earth-shattering history happened only a few generations ago, so much so
that descendants of the Gweagal, those first people Cook encountered,
still talk about that encounter in 1770 as though it was yesterday.
Despite the continuing concerns about the vast holdings of mostly looted
cultural artefacts, the return of these objects, however briefly, will
serve to emphasise how recently the British came to Australia, how much
more we need to do to be fully at home in this country and how much part
of a living, contemporary tradition Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander cultures are’, When universes collide – Encounters exhibition at National Museum of Australia.
Land of hope
‘There were times in our past when Australia was seen as the great hope
of the world – when it offered a vision of a new democratic life free
from the failures of the past and the old world. It seems we have turned
from our history, from the bright vision of the nineteenth century and
the great nation-building vision of the period after World War 2, with
its sense of optimism and fairness, towards something much more pinched
and narrow – mean and weak-willed. For such an optimistic nation we seem
to have developed a ‘half empty’ rather than ‘half full’ view of the
glass – and the world. If we want to live in a land to be proud of, a
fair country that truly inherits the best of Australia’s traditions,
while consciously abandoning the less desirable ones, we need to change
course – otherwise we will have to rebadge Australia not as the land of
hope but instead as the land without hope’, Land of hope.
A navigator on a Lancaster bomber
‘Sometimes I think Australia has lost its way. It’s like a ship that has
sailed into the vast Pacific Ocean in search of gaudy treasure,
glimpsed the beckoning coast of Asia and then lost its bearings, all its
charts blown overboard in squalls and tempests. It seems to have turned
from the great nation-building vision of the period after World War 2,
with its sense of optimism and fairness, towards something much more
pinched and narrow. It’s time to rediscover the Australian dream. We
need a navigator – or perhaps many, one in every community – who can
help us find our way, encourage us as we navigate from greed and
complacency to a calmer shining ocean of generosity and optimism’, A navigator on a Lancaster bomber.
Valuing the intangible
‘We are surrounded by intangible cultural heritage – Indigenous and
non-Indigenous – and often it’s incredibly important to us but we can’t
seem to understand why or put a name to its importance. So many issues
of paramount importance to Australia and its future are linked to the
broad cultural agenda of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). In particular they are central to one of
UNESCO’s key treaties, the International Convention for the
Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage,’ Valuing the intangible.
The Magna Carta – still a work in progress
‘You don’t have to be part of ‘Indigenous affairs’ in Australia to find
yourself involved. You can’t even begin to think of being part of
support for Australian arts and culture without encountering and
interacting with Indigenous culture and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander communities and individuals who make it and live it.’ The Magna Carta – still a work in progress.
‘If you are convinced you have heard all of Australia’s great stories, think again. If you consider you know something about Indigenous Australia you probably need to start from scratch. Black Diggers, “the untold story of WW1’s black diggers remembered” is a great Australian story. Why over a thousand Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians left their communities in remote Australia or our regional cities or the big state capitals to travel overseas to fight and die in the European trenches far from home is part of a larger Australian story. Why they would bother when they were not even recognised as Australian citizens in their own land is a story all their own – but a story relevant to every Australian’, Black diggers - telling war stories.
‘The Indigenous cultural programs of the Australian Government play a critical role in support for both Indigenous communities and for a diverse and dynamic Australian culture – what is happening to them?’ Death by a thousand cuts – what is happening to the Indigenous culture programs of the Australian Government?
Real jobs in an unreal world
'Subsidised Indigenous arts and cultural jobs are real jobs with career paths that deliver genuine skills and employment capability.' Real jobs in an unreal world.
Like a long-lost masterpiece
‘Many decades ago when I was much younger and a student I used to march in National Aboriginal Day Observance Committee marches. They were shorthanded to NADOC marches, back in the days when Islanders hadn’t yet been included and there was no ‘I’ in the name. I realised a while back that I must have been marching under the new Aboriginal flag at its birth. I had a poster from those years which I used to cart around with me from city to city until one day when I was about to move yet again I decided to donate it to the National Library of Australia’, Like a long-lost masterpiece.
No comments:
Post a Comment